FTWMA: Weapon Meister Academy
by Blueninjamanga22
Summary: A sound soul rests within a sound mind and a sound body. When a soul is corrupted, it becomes inhuman and evil, a Kishin. When a certain evil Kishin threatens the Fairy Tail Weapon Meister Academy, it's up to the meisters and their weapons to stop it before it's too late. NatsuxLucy, GajeelxLevy, GrayxJuvia, JellalxErza, and I'm gonna say it: LaxusxOC. T for language.
1. A First Encounter

_**Hey, people! I hope you enjoy this story, and if you came here from my last story, 'Somebody That I Used to Know', I already love you. This is more like a Soul Eater version of Fairy Tail, so I'm sorry to say that there won't be any characters from Soul Eater showing up. **_

_**This fanfiction wouldn't be possible without LuckyLifeSmile; I have a lot to thank her for. Love ya, Nee-Chan! **_

_**If you're new to my stories, I have two O.C.s. Aya and Inuria Dragneel, twins, and Natsu's little sisters. **_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. **_

_**~ * ~ * 1 ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ *A First Encounter ~ * ~ ***_

"You're going to fall"

Natsu Dragneel inched forward on the tree branch, reaching out to the balloon caught between the tree branches. Sweat beaded down his forehead in concentration; he was about twelve feet off the ground, and it didn't help that his sister was mocking him from down below.

"Be careful, Nii-San!" Inuria called, biting her lip in worry. It was her balloon that caused Natsu to climb up the tree of death in the first place. She'd been so upset when she accidentally let it fly away and get stuck in a tree; Natsu couldn't help but offer to climb up and get it for her.

"I will be," Natsu called, making a grab for the balloon's string with his tiny, six-year-old fingers. But as soon as he grabbed hold of the balloon, he lost his balance and fell off the branch.

"Nii-San!" Inuria exclaimed. Her twin sister, Aya, (who had been mocking him before) looked too shocked to even say anything.

But rather crashing into the cold, hard concrete, Natsu felt someone grab him. He looked over to see that he was in the arms of his father, Igneel. Natsu smiled widely, trying to hide his nervousness.

"Hey, dad," Natsu said.

"Natsu," Igneel responded "What were you doing in the tree?"

"He was getting me my balloon!" Inuria exclaimed, tugging on the fabric of her father's shirt "I dropped it and he saved it!"

Igneel shook his head, setting his son on the ground "You need to learn to stop letting your balloons go, Inuria. How many times have you had Natsu or Aya get your balloons back for you?"

"This is the fifth time," Natsu said, proud of his newfound counting skills.

Igneel rolled his eyes, and then took the twin's hands (as they were younger than Natsu by a year) "Come now, children. We're going to get dinner"

By noon, they'd already met up with their mother, Harumi Dragneel, at what could now be their favorite restaurant. The Dragneel family had just moved to Death City for Igneel's new job, and the trip from Magnolia City to there was a long and hard one, even by car. Eating out at the Soul Eater Diner was a celebration after three days of unpacking.

"Natsu, what happened to you?" his mother asked; her blue eyes wide. Natsu was covered in pieces of bark and dirt, with scrapes over his knees and elbows from climbing up the tree. His hands were filthy, and he only now noticed all the leaves that were entangled in his bubblegum pink hair.

"I fell out of a tree," he explained simply, jumping into his chair. He could now get into a chair without any help, and he was very proud of that fact. The twins, however, couldn't say the say for themselves.

"You _what_?" Harumi exclaimed, turning to her husband "Is that _true_?"

"W-Well . . . sort of―I caught him!" Igneel exclaimed.

"Natsu, how many times did I tell you that you were going to fall out of that tree?" Harumi looked to her son.

"Lots of times?" Natsu offered. He may have been able to count, but his number vocabulary consisted only of the numbers between one and twenty.

"Papa, what's that?" Aya asked, pointing to the building in the horizon. It almost looked like a castle, with black bricks and red roofs. Red spikes came out from almost every place in the building, making it look like the building was getting pricked by thorns. All in all, the building did look cool.

"The F.T.W.M.A.," Igneel said; a ghost of a smile on his face when he said the name "It's a school, you might start going there, soon"

Natsu looked out the window, studying the school. As night began to fall, it looked almost sinister against the black of the night. He shivered at the thought, and the fact that he was at the 'Soul Eater' Diner didn't help.

After they finished their dinner, the family left just as the smiling moon rose into the sky. The twins walked alongside their parents, but Natsu lingered behind. This was a new place that he'd never seen before, and every single shop and sight made him stop and stare. As he was looking into the windows of a toy shop, he didn't notice the shadowy figure watching him, licking his lipless mouth.

Natsu whipped around as a figure jumped from the rooftops. With skin as pale as chalk and empty red eyes, the creature had bone-thin long arms and legs as it scuttled like a spider on all fours. His face was thin, his mouth lipless and his eyes narrowed, it showed its fangs. Natsu had never seen anything like it, and he knew he never wanted to.

The creature rasped and hissed, and Natsu realized that it was incapable of human speech. It dashed towards him, and after getting a closer look at it, he saw that this thing might have once been human. But now it looked and acted more like an animal.

Natsu screamed in terror; turning and trying to run. And already blocks away, Harumi and Igneel Dragneel were going to realize too late that their only son was missing.

He tried to run, he ran as fast as his legs would carry him, but it still wasn't fast enough. He tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, falling to his face. Natsu turned, but before the creature could come at him, a figure dashed in front of him.

The only thing standing between Natsu and the creature was a young girl, and she was about as old as he was. Her blonde hair was tied back in pony tail, her brown eyes wide. She was biting her lip, and Natsu could easily tell that she was terrified. And he bet everything he owned that the creature could tell, too.

"S-Serial―V-Vlad―Serial Killer Vlad the Impaler!" the girl exclaimed, taking in a breath as if remembering what she was supposed to say "You're soul has b-been purged b-by evil a-and―and your soul is mine!"

The creature―or Vlad the Impaler―didn't seem too bothered by the girl's threat to take his soul. He drew what looked to be wooden stake from his belt, one that was long and looked to be as sharp as a sword. If he was strong enough to impale someone with that, it would be a slow and painful death. Natsu shivered at the thought; _that's_ why he was called Vlad the Impaler.

Vlad the Impaler dashed at the young girl, as she drew two small katanas from her shoulder blades. She dodged him at the last minute, appearing behind the Impaler while he was recovering from his miss. She tightened her grip on the blades, closed her eyes, the brought both blades down on it's back.

Rather than falling, the Impaler's body dissintigrated, and then disappeared into the sky. All that was remained of his body was a floating blue orb.

"Is it over?" the girl asked, refusing to open her eyes.

"Uh . . . yeah," Natsu answered, not sure how to answer.

"Oh, thank goodness" the girl opened her eyes, and then did the strangest thing he'd possibly ever seen. She grabbed onto the orb, and then _ate _it. She only chewed a little, and then swallowed. Natsu wondered how it tasted.

"Hey, thanks," Natsu said "You saved my life"

"It was nothing. My name's Lu, by the way" the girl smiled, then looked him up and down "We could use boys like you in the academy. You look like you could take it". The girl stuck the katanas back onto her back (how was she holding those things?) then ran off into the night.

"Hey, wait!" Natsu exclaimed, running after her "Who are you? What's the academy? _Wait_―!"

_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP_.

Natsu blinked awake, squinting as the light shinned through his curtains. He rolled over, hitting the off button on his alarm clock. He didn't bother hitting the 'snooze' button―if he slept in even a minute late, his mother allowed the twins to come in and push him out of bed.

He tugged a t-shirt over his head, grumbling his complaints. He tugged his hair in annoyance, wiping the sleep out of his eyes. He'd had the same dream for eight years, and he never got much sleep when he did have the dream. Of the strange young girl who saved him from Vlad the Impaler, than ran off without a trace.

Natsu tied the laces on his tennis shoes, than ran out the door quickly, without even grabbing breakfast. He hated to admit it, but breakfast could wait. If he left the house and got there quick enough, he'd be able to see Gray before he left for school.

Gray Fullbuster was Natsu's sole best friend, and he went to the F.T.W.M.A., the biggest academy in Death City. Natsu and his sisters were homeschooled, so Natsu really only got to see him a few hours a day and on weekends. But he found that he could talk to his friend in the morning if he got to his house quick enough.

When he got to his house, Gray's mother, Ur Fullbuster, answered the door. Ur was a pretty young woman with short, dark hair and brown eyes. She didn't look like someone who was the mother of three children, but she was, none the less. Natsu remembered having a small crush on her when he was seven, back when he first met Gray.

"Well, good morning, Natsu," Ur smiled.

"Good morning, Mrs. Fullbuster," Natsu said "Is Gray home?"

Ur looked over her shoulder "Gray―!"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Gray dashed to the front door. He already had his backpack over his shoulder, and he was fixing his left shoe, hopping around like a one-legged rabbit. He and Natsu had figured out this routine years ago, and he still hadn't managed to get ready in time.

"Hey, Natsu," Gray said, "Bye, Mom"

Ur kissed her son on the cheek and ruffled his hair before she allowed him to leave. Gray quickly wiped off whatever germs that could be on his cheek and fixed his hair, then turned to his friend "God, you look like shit"

"Thanks, bro, really," Natsu scoffed "I didn't get much sleep last night"

"Was it that dream again?" Gray asked.

"Yeah," Natsu admitted "That and last night I swear I saw a monster by my window. Like the one I keep seeing in my dream, but it looked different. But the second I blink, it's gone. I've been seeing them everywhere, man, and then these blue-and-red lights . . ." Natsu sighed "I think I'm going insane."

"Nah, you're not going insane," Gray said, looking at the ground. There was a far-off look in his eyes, like he was saying something, but his mind was somewhere else.

"Hey, dude?" Natsu asked, raising an eyebrow "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No, no, it's just . . . there are something's you'd be better off not knowing about," Gray said.

"So you're not telling me something," Natsu said.

"I guess you could say that, but it's not important" Gray said.

"Good. So, do you really think I'm sane?" Natsu asked.

"You're not insane, Natsu," Gray smirked "You just need medical help"

"Dude!" Natsu exclaimed, punching his friend on his shoulder "Not funny!"

"Gray!" Juvia, the girl with dark blue hair that waited at Gray's bus stop "You're late _again_! Juvia has been waiting for you for a while, had you had been any later, Gray-Sama would have missed the bus"

"Sorry, Juvia," Gray said "We tried to leave earlier but―"

"'But' Gray-Sama was still late!" Juvia scoffed, and then her eyes went to Natsu "Natsu"

"Juvia," Natsu said, offering a tight smile. It was easy for anyone to see that Juvia Lockser didn't like Natsu very much, and Natsu had yet to figure out why. But ever since he'd shown up at the bus stop with Gray, she'd been giving him nothing but dirty looks and the cold shoulder.

Even so, Juvia was right. Only seconds after they had arrived, the bus came to pick them up. Natsu waved to them as they left, but only Gray waved back. Juvia simply stuck her nose in the air and acted as if he wasn't there.

_(-.-)-(-.-)-\(oOo)/-(6.-)_

Natsu was half-way through _the History and Founding of Death City_, and he was already bored. It had taken him a week to get where he was in the book, and so far it was nothing but big words he didn't understand and people he didn't care about.

Natsu looked to his father, who was flipping through the channels on the T.V. His mother was lounging on the couch, working on sales through her phone. Natsu took in a breath; he'd been meaning to ask his father this for a while now.

"Hey, dad?" Natsu asked "Have you noticed anything . . . strange, lately?" Natsu asked. To be honest, he'd been noticing strange things for years. But he didn't want to suddenly bombard his poor father with crazy suspicions and questions.

"What kind of 'strange' do you mean, son?" Igneel asked, not taking his eyes off the T.V. "Do you mean strange like that blue-haired young lady that hangs around your friend Gray, or strange like―?"

"Like monsters who kill people and people who turn into weapons and eat these weird glowing orbs," Natsu said, deciding it was the time to bombard him with crazy suspicions and questions "_That_ kind of strange"

Igneel didn't answer, but turned to the twins "And you two? Notice anything _strange_?"

"Well . . . Is this strange?" Inuria asked, unsure. She made a finger gun, then moved her thumb in a trigor-like movement. The strange thing was that when she did so, an acctual bullet shot out of her index finger and set a hole into the wall.

"Whoa!" Natsu exclaimed, and then stood up, pushing his book onto the floor "That's it! Something's going on that you aren't telling us about! What the hell is going on?"

Igneel and Harumi exchanged a glance, and then Harumi nodded as his father started to talk "Natsu, Aya, Inuria, take a seat. There's something we need to tell you"

(o.o) (O.o) (-.-)

_**So, this is chapter one. I know it doesn't make much sense now, but it will later. I hope you guys liked it so far!**_

_**As for Natsu's mom, I wasn't sure on what to name her. But I settled with 'Harumi', for the same reason Mashima-Sama named Natsu. 'Natsu' means summer, and 'Haru' means spring. Spring comes before summer, so Harumi. **_

_**I'm sorry if 'Lu' (no spoilers, if you haven't figured it out already) was out of character. I was trying to make her fight cool while trying to keep her out of character. **_

_**And by the way, Juvia's personality here is going to be leaning more towards Edo-Juvia's personality. Just a warning. But since their the same person in reality, I don't really think that matters much. **_

_**Like it, Love it, Hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!,**_

_**Ninja **_


	2. Life for the Souls

_**Hey, guys! I'm glad you guys like chapter one, I hope it gets better from here on out . . . **_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. I wish I did, though, both are super creative.**_

_**~ * ~ * 2 ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ * Life for the Souls ~ * ~ ***_

The alley they walked down reeked; and Natsu felt like he was being watched. He could hear the skittering sound of a rat's claws against the stone alley, and could sense their gleaming red eyes on him. He shivered at the thought, grabbing his younger sister's shoulders and forced them to walk closer to him. Igneel, however, walked calmly and confidently down the alleyway, as if he'd done this a million times before.

"Dad, why the hell are we here?" Natsu asked.

His father had told him he had something to tell him, and he had come clean. He'd told them that the twins were "Weapons" and that Natsu was a "Meister". But rather than explaining more when they'd asked, he'd jumped up and said 'you know what? I'll just show you'. Natsu wondered if he got his quick, irrational thinking from him. He wished at that moment that Igneel had stuck to telling him. He wasn't scared or anything, but walking down a dirty, rat-infested alleyway wasn't exactly on his bucket list.

"Language, Natsu, you're only fourteen," Igneel said, eyeing him "Anyway, you three have noticed strange things in the world. Strange things going on in both yourselves and in the world. The world is a hazardous place, but for the souls, it's much more dangerous"

Igneel walked to a cracked mirror, and then breathed on it like a bored child in a moving vehicle. He drew in some numbers in the steam: 42-42-546. The mirror expanded and widened, and then Igneel stepped right through it.

The three exchanged a glance, and then Natsu and Aya exclaimed "Cool!" scrambling forward, fighting each other to see who got to go through the magic mirror first. Inuria only lingered behind a little longer, waiting for her siblings to go there first. Just to make sure it was completely safe. If they were all dead, well, at least she had her own room now.

Once the final child jumped through, the three Dragneel siblings final got to see the FTWMA in all its glory. For some reason, it seemed much different from the school they saw on the horizon when they looked out of their windows.

For starters, it was much bigger. It did still looked like it was getting pricked by thorns and needles, but in a way that made it look almost majestic. There were little skull patterns every, the colors of red and black mixing to form a perfect color balance. The school looked like a caste.

"Children," Igneel had his eyes closed, as if picturing his children's awed faces "This is where I work, and where you'll be going to school. The FTWMA―the Fairy Tail Weapon Meister Academy. Isn't she a beauty?"

"Uh, dad?" The three kids, however, weren't looking at how amazing the building looked. They were paying more attention to the crowd of kids surrounding something on the steps of the building. Over the rowdy noised, Natsu could make out a few kids shouting "fight, fight, fight!"

The three rushed forward, pushing their way through the crowd. Four kids were facing each other, and they seemed to be divided into teams of two. Team one consisted of a scary-looked redheaded girl and a boy with blue hair and tattoo going over his right eye. Team two consisted of a tough-looking boy with spikey white hair; the girl next to him had long brown hair and glasses. All four looked extremely pissed, and a blonde girl was standing in-between them, trying to prevent World War 3.

"Guys, guys, calm down!" the blonde girl exclaimed "We're all friends here―"

"Men are not friends with her!" the white-haired boy exclaimed, rather proudly with his fists clenched "_Man_! Real men fight out their problems!"

"Oh, please," the redheaded girl scoffed "You're being stupid, Elfman"

"Your _face_ is stupid!" the girl with long brown hair spat.

"Don't even try," the blue haired boy scoffed "The fight would completely belong to us"

"Your _face_ belongs to us!" the brown-haired girl snapped again.

"That doesn't make any sense," the redheaded girl said, hands on her hips.

"Your _face_ doesn't make any sense!" Elfman snapped, catching on a bit too late. The girl next to him slapped herself in the forehead, while the boy and girl standing across from them gave Elfman a weird look, as if saying 'is this guy serious?'

"Oh, whatever!" the redheaded girl exclaimed "If it's a fight you want, we'll give you a run for your money. Jellal, transform!"

Natsu blinked to see if he was dreaming. The blue-haired boy―Jellal, was it?―turned into a shining, black sword. The blade looked extremely sharp, and there seemed to be some type of black mist coming off it. Her weapon suited her; she needed something as fearful as her to fight with.

"Evergreen, transform!" Elfman exclaimed, and the girl next to him transformed. In a matter of short seconds, Elfman was holding five ninja stars. Natsu thought for a minute; was it possible for Jellal to turn into two swords? Since Evergreen was allowed to be five ninja stars, were they allowed to be multiple weapons?

"Stop it! We're not supposed to fight on camp―!" the blonde girl exclaimed, but the redheaded girl ran right past her, swinging her sword at Elfman. Elfman dodged quickly, throwing two of the ninja stars at her. The girl reflected both with her blade, leaping out at him. She swung the sword in a stabbing motion, as Elfman leapt out in the nick of time. She ended up stabbing the ground, and so hard the sword got lodged in the stone.

"Get me _out_!" a voice that seemed attached to nothing exclaimed. It sounded echoed, and Natsu couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. But when he looked closer at the blade, he was able to see Jellal's reflection in the blade, a reflection that existed when no one was there to create it. Natsu bit his bottom lip; he really _did_ turn into the weapon.

"No problem," the redheaded girl ripped the sword out of the ground, swinging it at Elfman. It narrowly missed him, tearing the fabric of his shirt. Elfman growled, and then yelled out something stupid like "real men don't harm the shirts of other real men!"

"_Enough_!" the blonde girl took a katana out of nowhere, slamming it into the ground between the two fighters. Natsu wondered where the katana came from, and then he saw that she was clutching the katana with one arm. Her left sleeve was empty, dangling at her side. She'd only turned her arm into a katana. It made him wonder about all the loopholes that were in this 'Weapon-Meister' business.

"Stop it!" the blonde girl shrieked "If this goes on, two things are going to happen. One, all of us are going to get in trouble. Two, one of you is going to _die_! Most likely Elfman, though"

"A real man―!" Elfman started.

"Oh, shut up, Elfman" Evergreen's reflection appeared in the ninja star he was holding, with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed "The girl's right."

The star glowed, and Evergreen was standing there once again. The redhead through her sword in the air, and Jellal was standing in its place when it landed. The four children didn't look ashamed; they looked annoyed.

"Get to class," Igneel stepped forward, overlooking them all with cold eyes "Before you all get detention"

The kids all scrambled in different directions, and when they were alone, Igneel turned to his children "Now, you just saw an unplanned and _unnecessary_ fight between two Weapon-Meister teams. Don't go around doing that out of the training arena, you just might get detention. I'll let them off the hook this time, but this is the only time. Now," he smiled "Let's go explore the school grounds, shall we?"

(^,^)-(^^)-(^.^)-(^o^)

Lucy Heartfilia sat at library, glancing up from her book for only a moment to see what all the fuss was about. Her friends, Levy McGarden and Gajeel Redfox, had done nothing but talk about the new kids for the last ten minutes. Lucy rolled her eyes; she'd thought they'd come to library to _study_ not gossip.

"I don't know," Levy looked concerned "The girls don't seem to mind, but the boy . . . he looks confused"

"There's nothing wrong with being confused," Lucy said, not looking up from her book. For some odd reason, Levy's doubt in the new boy irked her.

"Well, yeah. But we're talking about two different types of 'confused'. There's the typical new school confusion; stuff like 'I wonder what it's like here', 'what's my next class', 'I don't know anybody'" Levy said, making hand motions to prove her point "Then there's _his_ confusion. Confusion like 'this place is weird', 'I don't get this place', and 'what the hell, I want to go home'"

"The boy doesn't want to go to school," Lucy snapped "So what?"

"Calm down, Bunny," Gajeel said, looking over "I think Levy means he looks like he doesn't know a thing about us. And what I mean by 'us', I mean Weapons and Meisters. My bet is, the little weirdo's not a Weapon or a Meister; I bet he's just a normal kid who wants a more exciting school. He won't last a week here"

"You've never even talked to him, and you already hate him?" Levy scoffed at her partner.

"I don't like that look in his eye," Gajeel growled "the cocky bastard"

Lucy looked up and saw the new boy clearly. He had bright, bubblegum pink hair and onyx eyes. Yes, Levy was right, he did look confused. But that look was almost overshadowed by another emotion in his eyes: excitement. He was happy to be here, happy to be learning something new. And it only took her a few moments more to recognize him.

Eight years ago, her first night out hunting Kishin Eggs. Vlad the Impaler wasn't always a Kishin Egg, but he was always cruel. He used to murder victims by impaling them with wooden stakes and keeping the bodies as trophies. He'd them came up with the idea to eat the innocent victims souls, and therefore turned himself into a Kishin Egg.

She hadn't meant to save anyone. She hoped she wouldn't have had to. She was alone, she was six, and she was scared. She wanted to kill the Kishin Egg, the corrupted soul, and move on and get back to the safety of her home. But when she had saved him, no matter how scared she was, the second she heard his thanks . . . it was the best feeling in the world. And she knew when he chased after her, even after witnessing all that he had, he was strong. He was persistent, he was brave, and that was all the things needed of either a Weapon or a Meister.

"Lu-Chan?" Levy asked "What are you thinking about?"

"Yeah, you're smiling like a creep," Gajeel smirked "What kind of dirty thoughts are you having about the new kid?"

"I'm not thinking about anything like that, you pervert!" Lucy snapped, her smile fading and her cheeks turning a shade of light pink "I just . . . I have a feeling he's going to be ok here. You'll see, I think he'll be just fine"

Almost as if on cue, the new boy turned to face them. His face broke into a wide grin, and he pointed at Lucy "HEY! _I know you!_"

Lucy shrieked in surprise, trying to hide her face with her book "N-no, you must be m-mistaken. I've n-never seen y-you before in my l-life . . ." The hard part of her story, was that she wasn't supposed to be out when she saved him. She'd been dared by Gajeel to go after the Impaler, and Gajeel has a bit of blackmailing information on her that she would like to keep secret. If anyone found out she was out killing Kishin Eggs when she was six . . . she shivered at the thought.

"Oh, ok." The boy said, turning around, and immediately believing her, as if there was no possible chance that she was lying to him "You just look a lot like someone I saw, once. No big deal. But seriously," he turned, squinting in her direction "You look a whole damn _lot_like―"

"_I don't know you_, I DON'T KNOW YOU!" Lucy exclaimed, diving under the table to hide herself. The boy shrugged, acting like it was perfectly normal and walked off to explore more of the library. Gajeel and Levy exchanged a glance, and then looked under the table. Lucy was still hiding, even though the new boy had long since walked away, shivering and clutching a book to her chest.

"Still think he'll survive here?" Gajeel asked "I don't think _you'll_ survive while he's going here!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the library, the twins were flipping through the collection of manga's on the back shelves. Both were big fans of the Japanese art, and had read many volumes. Though all the ones on this shelf were unfamiliar.

"I wonder if this one's any good," Aya said, picking up a book labeled '_Hetalia_' "What do you think?"

"I've never heard of it," Inuria picked up a volume of '_Ouran High School Host Club_'.

"Try '_Black Butler_'," a voice said from the other side of the shelf "It's a really interesting series. Bottom shelf"

The twins looked up, seeing a girl with short white hair and blue eyes. She was in the typical school uniform, and she gave them both a kind smile. Aya grabbed the first volume of '_Black Butler_', then stood up so she could be eye-level with the girl.

"Thanks, we'll give it a try," Aya said "I'm Aya; this is my twin sister, Inuria"

"Hi," the girl smiled "I'm Lisanna"

ヽ(○´∀)乂(*´∀`*）乂(∀`●)

_**Ok, this chapter was a lot shorter than the last. But I hope it was still good. Note the word: hope. **_

_**I think it's only fair to mention this, because I announced it at the end of my last story. Ok, so I'm starting a story-writing contest. It has to be Fairy Tail, and any pairing is fine. NatsuxLucy, GrayxLucy, ErzaxJellal, GajeelxLevy, NatsuxLisanna, HappyxCharla, WendyxRomeo. Now I've opened the door for even LaxusxAya. It can be a one-shot or a chapter story, you can write it specifically for the contest or it can be one you've already published. PM me the story link or by document manager, and I'll pick the winner by October 22nd (that's my birthday!).**_

_**The prize can be anything you wish. I can write you a story (again, for every pairing), help you write a story, review one of your stories, favorite your story and favorite you as an author, spread the word about your story. Anything that I can do through , and anything your little heart desires.**_

_**Like it, Love it, Hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!,**_

_**Ninja **_


	3. Soul Resonance!

_**Ok, a little explanation to Miss Unperfect 101: Weapons eat the souls of Kishin Eggs, the corrupted souls. They must eat 99 evil souls and the soul of 1 witch to become Death's Ultimate Weapon, which is the goal of every weapon, but very few ever get to actually becoming a top weapon. **_

_**If a weapon eats a pure, human soul, it becomes a Kishin Egg; an evil monster who thinks nothing but violence, something more animal than human. So the jobs of Weapons and Meisters are to hunt down and kill these Kishin Eggs. **_

_**Ok, your Blueninjamanga22 homework is to start watching Soul Eater! But I'm seriously touched that you and Gray-Mochi would read my crossover even though you haven't watched Soul Eater. You guys are awesome!**_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. **_

_**~ * ~ * 3 ~ * ~ * **_

_**~ * ~ * Soul Resonance! ~ * ~ * **_

"Alright, Professor Dragneel," the pretty girl behind the desk smiled, handing him a piece of paper "I have registered two Weapons and one Meister. Is that right?"

"Yes, Miss Aries, thank you" Igneel said, taking the paper. He glanced over his shoulder, his three children in the back of the room. They seemed to be having a Wastebasket Basketball tournament, that whoever missed would have a temper tantrum in the middle of the office.

"Children," Igneel said, walking towards the three "Let me show you around the school". The three looked up, their eyes wide. They'd never been to a real school before; they'd always been homeschooled. A building like this must be a place that was strange and new to them . . . like aliens coming to a new planet.

The tour began with the more boring places―where the bathrooms were, the library, Igneel's classroom. Things got more interesting as they progressed―sports arenas, the dueling class, and the cafeteria. Natsu got excited when he saw a place filled with to the brim with food, but Igneel assured him that after a day here, he'd be wishing for his mother's cooking.

But the most exciting part of the tour stood out among the rest. The training room, as Igneel explained, was a room where Weapon-Meister partner teams could train. To have a better "soul wavelength", whatever that was. Natsu was more concerned with the variety of weapons that the kids fought with.

There was the petite blue-haired girl who was hanging around with a punk-looking guy that was covered in piercings. The blue-haired girl glanced around, and then her gaze landed on the blonde girl from the library. She waved wildly, acting as if she was seeing a movie star or a long-lost sister.

"Lu-Chan!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed "Can you help Gajeel and I train? We need to practice Soul Resonance"

"Oh, sure, Levy-Chan," the girl answered. She was practicing on a punching bag in the back, and seemed to be one of the only people in the room without a partner. The only other being a girl in the back (who was also beating the crap out of some poor punching bag) who had short-cropped white hair and blue eyes.

"Gajeel, transform!" Levy exclaims, and in a flash of light, the boy called Gajeel had transformed into the biggest axe Natsu had ever seen. It was double-bladed, and most likely a battle axe, judging by its size. It was extremely strange, seeing a petite girl like Levy holding an axe that big over her shoulder like it was nothing.

"How . . . ?" Natsu asked, turning to his father. Igneel simply smiled, as if he was waiting for Natsu to ask that particular question.

"They're partners," Igneel explained "And a partnership isn't decided by the Weapon or by the strength of the Meister. It's decided on how good two souls work together as one. Choosing a partner, it is very important and essential if you two resonate well and that you two get along"

"But why does it matter so much?" Aya asked, raising an eyebrow "Say some Jockstrap or a really strong guy partners up with that axe-dude. Good soul or no good soul, he'd still be able to swing around that axe, wouldn't he?"

"No, he wouldn't," Igneel answers "If their souls work horribly together, he won't even be able to pick it up. If their souls work badly together, he might be able to hold it, but it will be heavy and unbalanced. They only work completely when it's someone you work well with. Make sense?"

The three nodded, and then turned their attention to the fight. The blond girl―Lu, was it?―drew two katanas from her shoulder blades, and with only a moment's hesitation, she charges. Levy easily caught it with her axe, and then swung it at Lu.

Lu blocked it with one katana, using the other one to jab out at her. Levy leapt backwards, charging with her axe. Natsu leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm.

From when the battle started, he thought for sure that Levy was going to win. Her weapon was obviously bigger and stronger, not to mention sharper. It was an axe against a sword, the winner seemed obvious. Yet, this Lu-girl seemed to be putting up quite a challenge for Levy and Gajeel.

"_Let's Go Soul Resonance_!" Levy and Gajeel cried, and Natsu began to see something he could describe as more than just 'strange'. It was a blue ball of light, circling Levy and Gajeel's bodies like their own personal cyclone. There seemed to be a lot of pressure around them, winds rustling her hair and clothing with what looked like the force of a tornado.

"What's that blue thing?" Natsu asked, looking to his father.

"What blue thing?" Inuria asked "There's just a lot of wind"

"You're seeing their souls, Natsu," Igneel said, giving his son a puzzled look "That's a rare gift for Meisters. The larger the soul is, the more powerful the user"

Natsu shrugged, returning his attention to the battle. But, disappointedly, the blue around their body had left as quickly as it came. It just stopped, like a machine that had dead batteries or a car that ran out of gas. Levy, the poor girl, looked extremely frustrated as she slammed the axe into the ground. The axe, poor guy, was lodged in the floor.

"I can't believe it didn't work!" Levy exclaimed, stomping (rather lightly) around in a circle. Gajeel's reflection appeared in the axe, but only for a moment, before he turned back into his human form. He was sitting on the floor, with his eyes closed and his arms crossed, and he looked as annoyed as Levy did.

"This was the fifth time . . ." Gajeel growled.

"Is Soul Resonance hard?" Inuria asked.

"Extremely," Igneel answered "Their soul wave lengths have to match exactly, or else it will fail immediately. But if you can get it to work, your power is about ten times stronger than it was before."

Levy and Gajeel looked as if they were about to try the Soul Resonance again, but the bell rang. The students poured out of the room, and Igneel clapped his hands together. He looked rather excited.

"This is my favorite class to watch," Igneel smiles "Dueling"

*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:* （￣□￣；） (´･_･`)

The twins expected something a bit more . . . glamorous when their father said the class was called "dueling". But it seemed to be nothing of the sort. A gymnasium with sweaty mats and stands for the entire school to stare you down. This could be a good thing if you won, but instant humiliation if you lose.

This was their first time at school, their first time being new. They didn't know that being new made them a teacher magnet. That he'd look to them and smile and decide that they needed a push, something to get them some new friends. But they instantly wished he didn't.

Aya and Inuria looked to each other, wondering what the hell they were supposed to do. They'd turned their hands into pistols, and Aya had even once shot a bullet out of her big toe, just to show Inuria that she could. But they'd never turned into full-on guns.

Their opponent was Elfman Strauss and Evergreen 'Something'―a team they'd nicknamed the 'Manly Girl'. It seemed fitting, since Evergreen was such a priss and Elfman's weird habit of saying 'man!' But as soon as he took out those damn ninja stars, they'd regretted ever giving them an embarrassing team name.

Aya's first reflex was to run and dodge every star that came her way. It seemed to be Inuria's way of thinking, too. They'd jumped behind a fort of yoga mats, covering their heads and curling up in balls.

"We're gonna _die_!" Inuria exclaimed.

"Death by ninjas," Aya said, glancing over her shoulder just as a ninja star got stuck in the mat, just above her shoulder blade "This is a really cool way to die!"

"Aya?" Inuria asked.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up!"

From the stands, a certain Lisanna Strauss looked up from her book. She bit her lower lip in pity; they were getting killed out there. Not that a dueling practice ended in death, but it would be extremely embarrassing. After all, they were just hiding.

Lisanna dropped her book, running down the stands. She tried to make it discreet as possible, but she could bet a good dollar that at least a quarter of the crowd saw her run behind the mat.

"You guys are getting creamed!" Lisanna hissed.

"Really? You don't say!" Inuria snapped, sarcastically "I thought we were winning, _honest_!"

"Smartass," Lisanna growled, and then said "I'm a Meister, I can help you."

The twins exchanged a glance. There was no way to tell for sure that she was telling the truth, but what choice did they really have? "Ok. Do your thing"

Lisanna held out her hands, exclaiming "Aya, Inuria, transform!" It came naturally, like a sixth sense, and it seemed to be as easy as breathing. Before they even knew what was happening, Aya and Inuria were a pair of twin pistols.

Lisanna did a perfect front roll, guns at the ready. In two shots, she shot two of the ninja stars out of Elfman's hands. He growled in annoyance, taking out a few more and throwing. A few were lodged in the mats, while Lisanna dodged all of them like a pro.

She took her aim, making two shots at Elfman. But her trick was a good one; she aimed for the area right above his shoulder. It was just enough to graze the fabric of his shirt, just enough to scare him. Elfman glanced over to check if he'd been shot, and when he turned back, Lisanna had one pistol to his head and the other to his neck.

Lisanna smirked "Game over, Elf-Nii-Chan"

"_This guy's your brother?_" Aya's voice seemed echoed, her reflection appearing in the pistol. Lisanna and Elfman didn't look much alike, the only thing they had in common was their snow-white hair.

Elfman sighed "You win"

Lisanna tossed both pistols in the air, and when they landed, Aya and Inuria were in their human forms once again. The twins high fived each other, then offered one to Lisanna. She smiled at them, giving them the high-five they seemed to be so eagerly asking for.

"We make a pretty awesome team," Inuria smirked.

"Yeah, we do," Lisanna said, crossing her arms, in a way that was comfortable rather than cocky "You know, guys, I am looking for a Weapon . . ."

(〃￣д￣)八( ￣д￣ )八(￣д￣〃)

_**Was this chapter too short? I feel like it's too short . . . (*._.) Is it any good? I feel like nothing's happened in this chapter . . . **_

_**I'm sorry the NaLu moments you guys are waiting for is taking forever, but I have a full plan! It's coming VERY soon, I promise! **_

_**Like it, Love it, Hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!,**_

_**Ninja **_


	4. the Ultimate Test

_**Hey, guys! Thanks for all the reviews!**_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. **_

_**~ * ~ * 4 ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ * the Ultimate Test ~ * ~ * **_

_**Lucy's academy challenge? **_

_Slave Trading_ was what Lucy called it. Though it was far from it, Lucy didn't see herself as an object that could be traded or ranked. But maybe her problem with it was psychological; Jellal and Cana didn't have a problem with the Weapon's Test. But, then again, none of them ever had to take it. They found their partners through friends and fighting, like _normal people_, as they put it.

The FTWMA Weapon's Test was only recently invented, for kids who needed a little help in finding partners. All students were asked to attend, but no one complained. It'd be awesome to see the weapon's skills, and to laugh at the ones who failed epically. Lucy gripped her knuckles, digging her nails into her own skin, making it go white. She hated doing things in front of people, and she hated being forced into a partnership.

Basically, a weapon was to jump into the arena and fight projected Kishin Eggs. The higher your score is out of 10, the more powerful and difficult you are to resonate with. It states your score on how well you fight Kishin eggs, durability, stamina, etc.

"You can do it, Lu-Chan!" Levy squealed from the seat next to her. At that time, they were all watching a stranger with the last name 'A' fight some holograms. By the end of the fight, they applauded like all respectful kids should. The weapon's score was 5.6, an average score left him with many eligible Meister partners.

Lucy gave a small smile "Thanks, Levy-Chan" she looked over to Gajeel, who was sitting next to Levy, and raised an eyebrow in his direction "Do you have anything to say to me, too?"

"All they want is a good show," Gajeel said, looking up. He had met Levy through the test, and Lucy trusted his advice and judgment above all others "Give 'em what they want, Bunny-Girl, 'cause they ain't gonna go easy on you"

After a few people of the last names from the letters A-F, Lucy came was asked in. Lord Death Makarov-Sama was in the top stands himself, accompanied by his Death Scythe, Gildarts-Sama. Everyone knew Gildarts, because he was the best substitute teacher you could ask for. Some kids tried to get their teachers sick in hope that they could have Gildarts teach as a sub.

"State your name and weapon, child," Lord Death said.

"Lucy Heartfilia, katana," Lucy said, straightening her posture and trying to look professional.

"Alright, Lucy, just practice your skills in swiftness, meaning we want to see how fast you move, how powerful you can get when encountering a Kishin egg, that kind of stuff," Death Lord Makarov said "And now . . . go!"

Lucy drew two katanas from her shoulder blades, closing her eyes. She centered her soul wavelength, her focus and senses, to whatever was around her. The second she heard the fuzz of a projector turning on, she turned and slashed right through Jack the Ripper.

There was a gasp of awe going through the crowd, as she turned again, getting Al Capone straight through the center of the chest. She gritted her teeth, Gajeel's words replaying in her head. _They just want a good show_. If that's what they wanted, she was going to give them the best fucking show they could ever wish for.

Lucy leapt out, slashing through four holograms, two with each sword. In the last second, she turned abruptly and caught Hitler in the center of the head. Lucy was panting as the holograms faded and her time was up. In a few moments, her total score was pending.

Amongst the crowd, there was a chatter going on. Most people were excited about this girl, she was extremely interesting. She was fast, she could attack, and she was '_hot_' as the boys said. But by the performance she just gave, they were worried she was going to get a high number.

"Where was she when I needed a partner?" Lisanna bit her lip, causing Aya to punch her partner in the shoulder. Lisanna laughed, exclaiming that she didn't mean it while Inuria expressed how insulted she was. Natsu rolled his eyes, but he didn't take his eyes off the girl.

This was the girl from the library. This was the girl who stopped the fight yesterday. This was the girl who saved his ass five years ago. And now this is the girl who impressed everyone who was watching. Something was telling him, a feeling in his gut, said that this girl should be his partner, his weapon. Like it was destiny, something that was meant to be and waiting to happen.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Lucy's score blared on the screens. She got an 8.9, which was the highest score of the day. That was good for her, but bad for her at the same time. High score meant a good weapon, but it also meant that her soul wavelength would be harder to match. So the number of eligible Meisters would be a small one.

The scoreboard went pending for a moment, and then only a single name appeared on the scoreboard:

_Natsu Dragneel_.

This caused a small uproar in the crowd. Whispering and shoving people's shoulders and pointing. Aya immediately turned and grabbed Natsu and demanded what he did and how he rigged the scoreboards. Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Natsu Dragneel . . .?"

"Isn't that Igneel-Sensei's kid?"

"He fucking rigged it!"

"The little cheat . . ."

"I bet the asshole got his dad to do it for him!"

Lisanna gestured for Natsu to go to the center of the gym, and he did as he was asked. He shook hands with Lucy, but he didn't realize that she recognized him, too. The boy she accidentally saved, the boy from the library, the boy who didn't take 'no' for an answer. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt as if it was her destiny to become his partner.

Natsu kept a small smile and a straight face; even though he was jumping for joy on the inside "It's nice to see you again"

"Same to you," Lucy said, keeping the same expression, though she was filled with mixed emotions on the inside.

"Resonate!" Gildarts exclaims. As if planned and practiced, Lucy turned into a katana and Natsu grabbed it at the speed of sound. As fast as they disappeared, the holographic Kishin Eggs returned. All in one move, Natsu was able to slash through all five of them. He smirked, throwing the katana in the air and catching it by the handle. Huh, he didn't know he could do that.

Lord Death Makarov and Gildarts exchanged a glance, smirking. The soul power both of the children were giving off was powerful before, but even more so now. The bond between them was probably the most powerful one they'd seen all day. Yes, these two were going to be a hard team to beat or compare to by any means.

Lucy turned back into her human form, and then offered her hand "Partners?"

Natsu gave a wide, toothy grin. She thought that was cute. "Partners" he agreed.

ヽ(○´∀)乂(*´∀`*）乂(∀`●)

"Natsu-Nii's got a _girlfriend_!" the twins taunted in unison, balancing on the stone walls. If they were to trip or fall, they'd fall four feet onto the concrete. By the way they were taunting him, Natsu was tempted to push them both off the wall.

Natsu and Lucy were talking about their plans for the future, since they were now partners. Aya had said that they sounded like a married couple at least nine times. It didn't decrease his temptation to push her off the wall.

The worst part was; Igneel wasn't doing anything to stop it. The five of them were walking to Natsu's house, where they had invited Lucy over for dinner. She seemed excited about seeing his home and meeting his mother, causing the twins to point out once again that they sounded like a newlywed couple.

They'd arrived at their house a fifteen good minutes later, where Lucy got her wish. Harumi was already at the door, and Lucy saw where the twins got their looks from. She had Natsu's bubblegum pink hair, but the twins' curls and blue eyes. She also looked more like her daughters in the face, while Natsu looked more like his father. The only similarity to Natsu and his mother were their hair color.

"Oh, look," Harumi smiled, looking both surprised and a bit worried "A _girl_. Igneel-Kun, you didn't tell me that Natsu was bringing a _girl_ home"

"Mom, we called you, didn't we?" Inuria asked "Didn't we say Natsu was taking a girl home for dinner?"

"Well, yes, but I didn't actually _believe_ you!" Harumi exclaimed.

"Gee, mom, thanks," Natsu grumbled as the twins and his father burst into a fit of laughter. That didn't bother him, but he turned a slight shade of pink when he saw that Lucy was giggling as well.

"I don't want to be a burden, Mrs. Dragneel," Lucy gave a small bow "I can just go home―"

"No!" Natsu and Harumi exclaimed at the same time. The members of the Dragneel family stared at their only son for a good ten minutes, before he turned the color of strawberries and took a few steps back.

"That's alright, Darling, I can just add another plate," Harumi smiled "I have to feed Natsu every day, we have more than enough food"

The dinner table was incredibly chaotic, and that wasn't just because of the kids. It started out with Natsu and the twins flicking peas at each other with their forks. It was all fun and games until Igneel got hit in the eye. Then he threw his mashed potatoes at Natsu, and it got him square in the forehead. He tried to throw a carrot at him, but his father moved and it got stuck in his mother's hair. That was his fatal mistake.

Lucy never thought she'd see the day a food fight broke out in the middle of a family dinner. When she asked Inuria if it was always like this, Inuria responded "No, yesterday we ordered pizza". It gave her a pretty good picture to what this family was like. And she loved it.

"Now, Lucy-Chan," Harumi said, taking a sip of her tea "Tell me about your parents"

"Oh," Lucy said, staring into her tea and studying her sad reflection "They died when I was five. I'm an orphan"

That little factoid got Aya choking on her tea. Inuria patted her on the back a couple of times, until she was able to breathe properly again. Harumi looked exceptionally horrified. Lucy was used to this kind of reaction, it happened all the time. Whenever she said her parents died, she was treated as if she was some kind of sob-story. Yes, it was sad, but she was over it. She didn't need pity, she was doing just fine.

"That's horrible," Harumi said, eyes wide "Who do you live with?"

"I live by myself," Lucy said "I'm doing fine, Harumi-San, honest."

"That's no way to live," Harumi said, then turned to Igneel, who nodded "Maybe you could stay here, with us. We have an extra room upstairs, all empty"

"No, no, I couldn't" Lucy said, giving a small, sad smile "I'm doing fine. I bought my apartment with my own money, I intend to keep it. But thank you so much for the offer, you are very kind people. Thank you for the meal," Lucy gave a small bow as she stood up "But I must be getting home now"

"It was nothing, Lucy-Chan," Harumi smiled "Come any time. Natsu can walk you home; these streets are dangerous at night"

Natsu nodded quickly, jumping to his feet and exiting the house. The two had only walked for about five minutes before they came across Lucy's apartment building. She lived on the seventeenth floor overlooking the city, giving her a perfect view all the way to the FTWMA.

It was a small place, with only five rooms. There was a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and Lucy's room. A little dog Lucy called Plue was running around wildly, barking at everything. But even with his bark, the tiny white Chihuahua treated Natsu like an old friend the second he walked up to him.

There was also another bedroom that could have been a guest room if it wasn't so well decorated. The walls were covered in posters from bands that were popular years ago, a laptop and bookcase that were gathering dust. The bed was made, each of the stuffed animals aligned up nicely. Natsu ran his finger over the lamp, it was gathering dust, but it worked. Nothing in the room had been touched in years; that he could tell.

"Hey, Lucy?" Natsu called from the room "whose room is this?"

"Oh, that's a guest room," Lucy answered from the doorway "Levy and Gajeel sleep in that room or on the couch when they come over."

Natsu turned around so she couldn't see the confused look on his face. The guest room at his house was nowhere near as nice as this. It contained walls the color of peaches, along with some of the most boring sheets he'd ever seen. There was only a nightstand, and a desk with a mirror. The only thing that made it special from the other rooms was the fact it got its own bathroom. Even he didn't get one of those, and he actually lived there.

But there was something she wasn't telling him. The bed sheets weren't only dusty, but they were stiff. He rested his palm on the sheets, then the mattress. It was easy to tell that no body that slept there for years. Lucy was extremely close to both Levy and Gajeel; wouldn't they come over a lot? Everything in the room hadn't been touched in years, even the lamps and light bulbs were gathering dust.

Two situations were open: one, people hardly came to Lucy's house. Two, she wasn't telling him something.

And Natsu was leaning more towards the second choice.

｡*: (´・ω・人・ω・`)｡:゜ ｡

_**And that's the end of chapter four. I decided to start using the format that the Soul Eater anime uses for the episode titles. Where there's the name of the episode and a question that sounds more like a statement? Like that one . . . **_

_**Anyway, the idea for a Weapon's tournament-thing came from LuckyLifeSmile-Nee-Chan, so if you liked that, thank her. Yay!**_

_**Like it, Love it, Hate it? I'd appreciate if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!,**_

_**Ninja **_


	5. Wrath of the Kishin Egg

_**Hey, guys! Thanks for all the reviews. I just wanted to say that I drew a picture of Aya and I posted it on DeviantArt. Here's the link if you're interested:**_

blueninjamanga2. deviantart # / d5gffkp

_**Just erase the spaces and add the http. and you'll see it! Sorry if it's not good, I tried my best! **_

_**~ * ~ * Wrath of the Kishin Egg ~ * ~ * **_

_**An attack on the FTWMA? **_

_The school loomed, tall and proud, over a descending sunset. It stood above the city, on the highest point of elevation. Every student and teacher was thought of as a form of justice, as a guardian angel for every person in the city. The slightest bit of evil to enter the school would only be vanquished days, sometimes hours, later. Whatever happened, they leaned on the Weapons and Meisters to keep them safe. _

_But she wasn't one for believing in angels. She wasn't one for leaning on people for safety. She wasn't even one for believing in safety, because no matter what happened, something could go wrong. She wasn't one to hide in a town, praying that a Kishin Egg wouldn't find her, that someone from t. e school would swoop in and save her. _

_She was Erza Scarlett, and she was a fighter. _

_Erza hadn't been aiming to enter the school. She came in with an eye patch over her left eye, no shoes under her feet, and nothing but a small pouch slung over her back. She wasn't going to stay in Death City; she was going to leave as soon as she got directions to the city over. But, of course, something she hadn't calculated happened. _

"_Hey, are you new?" he was a boy with blue hair and a tattoo, red as blood, over his right eye. He smiles at her even though she was a stranger to him; he acted as if she was already a friend. His presence made her extremely nervous, and before she knew why, she was stuttering. _

"_N-no, I'm just l-looking for d-directions. I'm l-lost" Erza answered, looking down at her feet. This wasn't like her, she was tough. So why was she all tongue-tied all of a sudden?_

"_Well, hey there, 'lost'" the boy smiled, happy at his little joke "My name's Jellal" _

"_M-My name i-isn't 'lost'" Erza muttered under her breath. _

"_Then what is it?" Jellal asked, as he seemed to hear her anyway. _

"_E-Erza. . ." Erza whispered, making circles in the ground with her feet. _

_"Well, Erza, let's talk formally," Jellal smiles "I'm Jellal Fernandez, I'm a weapon" he gestured to his badge, which was sewn rather neatly into his shirt. As clear as his word, 'Weapon' was stitched into the fabric, clear as day. _

_"I'm Erza Scarlett, I'm a person" Erza said, looking confused. Was 'Weapon' a title he gave himself? Maybe a metaphor, was he trying to say that he was a fighter, like her? Like a human weapon? The tone in his voice said otherwise, but what else could he possibly mean? _

_"Erza, if you're only looking for directions, where are you trying to go?" Jellal asked, breaking her train of thought._

_"I don't know. Anywhere with cheap food," Erza gave a small smile, but it faded quickly "I don't know where I'm going to go. Anywhere"_

_"Why don't you live with me?" Jellal asks "Forget cheap food, I give it free. You can start going here and be a Meister. I could use a partner, too". _

_"I—I don't know . . ." Erza looked to the ground. She'd always had a problem trusting people, always afraid that they'd hurt her. Always afraid that they would twist her emotions and use her own feelings against her. People are, and always were, cruel and heartless beings of life. _

_"C'mon, don't you trust me?" Jellal asked, offering his hand. Erza hesitated, seeing the warmth of his brown eyes, the kindness and sincerity in his smile. Never in her life had she met someone who cared so much as him, and she never thought she would. Her smile was as genuine as his as she took his hand, squeezing it to assure him that she was telling the truth. _

_"Yes"._

Erza's eyes darted open, then glanced over to her clock. It was exactly 11:09, not a second over (she knew because her clock counted seconds, too. As small as they were, seconds _were_ important). She sighed, creeping downstairs and pulling a soda out of the fridge. Not bothering to make the sound silent, she popped open the can and took the longest drink of soda she'd ever drank in one gulp.

"You're up late," Jellal observed, leaning against the door pane. Erza took yet another drink of soda, trying to cover up her blush. He wasn't wearing a shirt. That never failed to make her blush.

"Dream-end," Erza answered, resting her hands on the kitchen counter. They had a system, you were allowed a midnight snack of you had a nightmare or a dream-end, which was a dream that you suddenly wake up from.

"About?" Jellal asked.

"About . . . Cake" Erza answered.

"What kind?" Jellal asked.

"Strawberry"

"Of course, what was it doing?"

". . . Dancing"

Jellal laughed "Seriously, Erza? You could tell me the truth!"

"Fine, I was dreaming about the day I met you" Erza sighs "At the school".

". . . You were dreaming about me?" Jellal's eyes widened, then he laughed "Oh, I get it! It was a nightmare, wasn't it?"

"No," Erza blushed, her cheeks turning the color of her hair "I don't see meeting you as a nightmare, Jellal. I . . . I see it as more of a blessing"

"Erza . . ." Jellal whispered, as if not sure what to say.

"Go ahead and laugh, Jellal, I dare you" Erza rolled her eyes, prepared for a mocking laughter and for him to call her something like a poet.

"No, no. I'm serious, I'm . . . I'm touched," Jellal said, smiling "That's really sweet".

"I didn't know guys said the word 'sweet'"

"Well, I do. Sweet, sweet, sweet!"

They laugh, and then they face each other. Jellal stops laughing, and then reached out and wiped a droplet of soda that was right next to her mouth. She'd hadn't noticed it before, and she blushed when she realized he'd been looking at her mouth. They're an awkward silence, and then Jellal leaned in and kissed her, right on her mouth.

She was surprised for a second, and then put her hands on his arms, giving into the kiss. She hadn't fought her liking to him, and she sure as hell wasn't going to do anything to stop it. She hadn't exactly dreamed of kissing Jellal, but doing it now told her that she should have been.

"Eh-m"

Erza and Jellal jumped about a mile apart, scrambling to opposite sides of the kitchen when they heard Ultear clear her throat. The young Meister was covering up her even younger Weapon partner, Meredy's, eyes with her hands.

"Sorry to interrupt your little midnight snack," Ultear said, raising an eyebrow at the two of them (which caused them to blush feverishly "But there's trouble at the academy, we're needed right now".

( ｡･_･｡)人(｡･_･｡ ) (●´∀｀●)

Erza's eyes widened when she saw the state of the school. The once proud building that promised safety to the town . . . it was practically in ruins. Not completely, as half of the school was still standing. But an entire side, three whole towers, was nothing but rubble.

"What the hell happened?" Jellal growled.

"Professor Igneel!" Ultear exclaimed, running over to the only teacher who was at the academy at the moment. The four of them were still in their P.J.s, the girls having the decency to wear bath robes over there, as the orders were to "come immediately". Jellal couldn't say the same for himself.

"Great, you're here!" Professor Igneel exclaimed, turning. He was dressed in his usual teacher attire, which gave off the message that he was working late when this happened. There was a look of sadness and utter rage reflecting in his eyes, as he glanced towards the half demolished school.

"Who did this?" Erza asked, clenching her fist. This was her home, her school, the place that trained her into who she was today. Anyone with the audacity, the _stupidity_, to attack her beloved school was going to pay. Igneel's eyes overlooked the four top students, and then gave the answer.

"A Kishin Egg," Igneel said, sticking his hands in his pockets "One that goes by the name of Phantom Lord"

*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:* (⌒▽⌒) ⊂((・▽・))⊃

_**That Jerza moment was needed. Before you ask and before you say it was rushed. I included a flashback, people, they liked each other for a while! I love that couple, so I really wanted a Jerza moment. **_

_**Again, my DeviantArt drawing link:**_

_** blueninjamanga2. deviantart # / d5gffkp**_

_**Erase the spaces, and it should take you there, if you're interested. I can't make a cover or anything, I'm not that patient or that good. **_

_**Like it, love it, hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!,**_

**青忍者マンガ****22**


	6. Awaiting Death's Response

_**Thanks so much for the reviews! And I'm so sorry this chapter took long, I was trying to figure out how to get it written . . .**_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. **_

_**~ * ~ * 6 ~ * ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ * Awaiting Death's Response ~ * ~ ***_

_**The Death Lord's answer to the chaos?**_

"You do know what this means, right?"

Lord Death Makarov hadn't turned to face him; he simply stared at the mirror. An image of his school―_his school_―was completely destroyed from the left side. It was crumbling to dirt and ashes, while a few people were working to fix the building to its former glory. But buildings could be fixed; at least no one was at the school when the attack happened. If any of his students, his children, were hurt, he would never be able to forgive himself.

The odd part was: nothing had been taken. That part of the school was destroyed, yes, but nothing but security checks showed that the Kishin Egg, one known as Phantom Lord, had not taken a thing. He'd broken in, roamed around breaking things and looking through drawers for a while, then left. Though not before he destroyed the entire half he searched through.

The Death Lord glanced back, seeing his son leaning in the death throne . . . slash chair, he never quite figured out _what _to call that thing. He looked exceptionally bored, his blonde hair sticking up in every direction. He was on his cellphone, doing god-knows-what. Lord Death had long lost sight of what kids did these days.

"I know," Lord Death sighed, dusting off his jacket. "I'll be gone for a week or two. Will you watch over the school while I'm gone?"

The boy smirked "Yeah, I've got it covered"

(-.-)-(-.-)-(-.-)-.

"Did you hear . . .?"

"The entire left side . . ."

"Under construction . . ."

"You want some of my chips?" Aya asked, shoving a couple of Doritos in her mouth. "They're Cool Ranch. Gotta love that flavor"

"Aya, I don't think this is the right time to worry about chips," Lisanna sighed. "Someone tried to destroy the school last night. Someone could have been there when they did it"

"But they weren't," Aya pointed out, taking a bite out of her chip. "Everyone's fine. The building's getting fixed. Problem solved"

"But . . . doesn't it bother you?" Inuria turned to her sister, raising an eyebrow.

"Hell yeah, it bothers me!" Aya clenched her jaw. "It sucks. Some moron comes around and tries to destroy my school. When I find out who did it, I'm gonna beat him so hard, he'll leave a body print in the concrete. But I don't know who did it, so I'm gonna relax until I find out"

Lisanna shrugged. "That sounds reasonable enough. I'm a little worried about Natsu-San and Lucy-San, though. I haven't seen them all day"

"Don't worry, our big brother may be an idiot, but Lucy's smart" Inuria said with a smile. "I'm sure they're fine, where ever they are"

Lisanna opened her mouth to say something, but decided against any remark to defended Natsu. After all, she was talking to his sisters. They probably knew him better than anyone in the world, and that included her. She turned, seeing Levy and Gajeel enter the lunchroom. She waved to them, offering them the seats next to her.

"Levy-San, Gajeel-San, hi!" Lisanna smiled, her cheeks glowing a slight shade of pink. "Where have you been?"

"Gajeel was convinced he could find the guy who tried to destroy the school," Levy was smiling, but there was an exhausted tone in her voice. "So we were overlooking the crime scenes around us like Sherlock Homes and Dr. Watson. It was pretty tiring"

"It was a reasonable and worthy task!" Gajeel snapped. "Even though no information was found, we went down as warriors and detectives! We fell with _honor_!"

"So you ran around cosplaying, and still found nothing?" Inuria asked with a roll of her eyes. "Jeez, I wonder why"

"Smartass," Gajeel spat. But before he could say anything else on the matter, a looming figure came from behind him. When Gajeel noticed that someone was standing behind him, he completely fell out of his seat. He scrambled back onto his seat, smiling at the silhouette.

"H-hey Professor Igneel!" Gajeel smiling, trying to cover up that he just insulted his teacher's daughter right in front of him.

"You want to know who tried to obliterate the school?" Igneel asked, blowing out a puff of smoke from his cigarette.

"Y-Yeah?" Gajeel said, his tone hinting that he was asking a question rather than answering one.

"Tell me what 'obliterate' means, and I'll tell you," Igneel smirked.

"Uh . . . to . . . Oblit something? Or to Orbit something, like the gum?" Gajeel suggested. From behind his back, Levy smacked herself in the forehead. At times like this, her partner really amazed her.

"Close enough," Igneel said, letting out a puff of smoke. He reminded Levy of a dragon. "It was a Kishin Egg, a rather ambitious one, no doubt. Must have been completely insane, coming to a Weapon and Meister school like that. He's lucky the school was empty at the time"

"What's this Kishin Egg's name?" Lisanna asked.

"Um . . . Phantom, that's it, Phantom Lord" Igneel said, his eyes narrowing in anger. He was obviously as mad about this whole incident as Gajeel was.

Levy's eyes widened, the name of the Kishin Egg was extremely familiar to her. She glanced around, hoping to see Gajeel in time. But the Weapon was nowhere to be seen; he must have ran away when he heard the Kishin Egg's name.

Phantom Lord.

The one who changed his life forever.

(〃⌒▽⌒)八(〃⌒▽⌒〃)八(⌒▽⌒〃)

"This is a terrible idea!" Lisanna hissed, glancing around wildly. She was supposed to keep guard while the twins contacted Lord Death from one of the bathroom mirrors. Because of the current _situation_ the school was going through, it was against the rules to even try to contact Lord Death. But that, of course, didn't stop the twins from trying.

"We're going to get in so much trouble," Lisanna groaned.

"We won't if we don't get caught," Aya hissed, breathing on the glass, then drew a combination of numbers into the steam: 42-42-546. There was a small flash, working like a pending call, as a figure appeared on the other side of the mirror. Except it _wasn't _Lord Death, it was a boy Aya could easily say that she'd never seen before in her life.

"You're not Lord Death!" Inuria exclaimed, saying the most obvious thing that came to her.

"No shit, Sherlock," the boy said with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, fuck you, Watson!" Aya retorted. "Where's Lord Death?"

"Dad's got stuff to do," the boy answered, studying his nails, clearly uninterested in anything any of them were saying. "So I'm guarding the fort. Name's Laxus, or Death the Lightning. Call me whatever you like"

"I'll stick with Laxus," Aya growled, crossing her arms.

"Look, Laxus-San, we just want the truth," Lisanna said, pushing Aya back and stepping forward. "Can you please explain to us what happened, it would be very appreciated―"

"So this is what the girl's bathroom looks like," Laxus whistled, glancing behind the three of them. Inuria looked to her sister and her partner, circling her finger around her temple, indicating her thoughts on Laxus.

"Dude, seriously?" Aya narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, you don't have the right to ask me anything. But I have the right to deny you everything you just asked for," Laxus smirked, crossing his arms. "I can't talk for dad though. He can't leave the city, so he can't be gone for much longer. But you're starting to annoy me, so I'd leave if I were you"

"You _jerk_!" Aya snapped, jumping forward and going right through the mirror. In mid-jump, her right hand turned into a pistol and she, rather aggressively, shoved the pistol into Laxus' forehead. Lisanna shrieked, grabbing Aya's foot and tried to jerk her out of the mirror. Aya wobbled out of balance, but hopped a bit on one foot and continued to hold the pistol to his head.

Laxus' eyes widened a bit, and then he smirked "Cute. You think I'll get hurt from a shot out of a one-star weapon"

Aya gritted her teeth. Weapons were arranged by stars, five-star and four-star being the best weapons, those who could even harm Grim Reapers if they wanted to. One-star weapons, however, were only the least big dangerous against people and Kishin Eggs, and it even took time to do damage then. Aya hoped he wouldn't know that, that he'd take one look at her and guess that she was a 5-star weapon.

Laxus simply batted the gun away from his forehead a little, causing Aya to lose her concentration, reverting the gun back into a hand. Laxus grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, thus making her entire body into him.

Laxus smirked, leaning down and whispering into her ear. "Don't get cocky Little Derringer, or you just might choke on all that arrogance"

Aya felt all the heat rush up to her face, and then she jerked her hand back. "_How fucking dare you_?! I'm _not_ a derringer! I'm a . . . a . . . a Beretta 92! Yeah, that's it! A motherfucking Beretta 92!" Aya turned on her heels, jumping right out of the mirror and storming out of the bathroom.

"I'm not a derringer . . . I'm _not_" Aya grumbled, slamming the door behind her.

"Um . . . thank you for your time, Laxus-San," Lisanna said with a bow, grabbing Inuria by the arm as the two of them ran off. The door closed behind them, leaving only Laxus' reflection behind. The Grim Reaper smirked, running a hand through his spiked blonde hair.

"That girl is something else," he smiled, before the reflection ripped, and he was gone.

ಥ‿ಥ ≖‿≖ ʘ‿ʘ

_**And here's chapter six, the first shot of LaYa (LaxusxAya) you will ever see in this story. As for the words "Derringer" and "Beretta 92" those **_are_**actual guns. A derringer is like a small shotgun you use when your gun has run out of bullets. And a Beretta 92 is a powerful Italian gun. **_

_**Like it, Love it, Hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!,**_

青忍者マンガ22


	7. Swallow Your Sorrow, Suffer In Silence

_**Hey, guys! I'm sorry this took so long to update, but there's school and packing for my trip tomorrow and all sorts of crap. But I really hope this was worth your wait, you guys are so sweet for reviewing. And I have to say, go whoever left a comment with something like 'LaYa forever'. For cheering on my random OCxcharacter couple, you're awesome! **_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. **_

_**~ * ~ * 7 ~ * ~ ***_

_**~ * ~ * Swallow Your Sorrow, Suffer In Silence~ * ~ * **_

_**Gajeel's terrible memories? **_

The roof of the FTWMA was a calm, relaxing place that a handful of students went to when they wanted a chance to lay back. It was a risky and dangerous trip to get to the top, so few students thought the chance of falling 3/4s of a mile wasn't worth a good view.

However, Gajeel Redfox was one of the few to say "falling is for pussies" and climb to the roof of the damn building.

The wind swept his face, the sun literally laughing in the sky. Gajeel gritted his teeth, turning and shouting "_Shut the fuck up!_" at the sun, even though it couldn't hear him. Stupid sun, ignoring him even though he was the great, the powerful, the _intimidating_ Gajeel Redfox.

Gajeel sighed. To the sun, he wasn't great or powerful or even intimidating. He was just another person. Just one of the billions of people that the sun loomed over and laughed at every day. The sun's a cocky bitch / bastard, laughing at people like that. Doesn't he / she ever think that maybe some people don't deserve to be laughed at? That maybe he / she didn't have a place to laugh at anybody?

_Of course not, stupid, it's the sun. It's a ball of fire and gas a million miles away. _

_Shut up_.

Gajeel huffed, leaning back on his hands. He had arguments with himself on a normal basis. He would insult himself, point out the obvious, and once, Gajeel had even punched himself in the face in a failed attempt to make that little voice shut up. Gajeel wasn't entirely sure if he was just crazy, or if there really was another voice in his head, doing nothing but trying to make life that much harder for him.

_The sun doesn't care about you, idiot._ The voice said. _Why should it? You're just another person, nothing special. It'll laugh at you just like it laughs at everything else. _

_Did you not hear me say 'shut up'? _Gajeel retorted.

_What're you moping about anyway, guillotine? You're nothing special. Hell, you're not even a freak. There are hundreds of other weapons in this school, and the sun laughs at them, too. _

Gajeel sighed, leaning back on the roof and resting his head on his arms. The day was beginning to end, and the sun's laughter began to fade as it grew tired and worn. As the sun began to set, it began to fall asleep. Drool etched from the corners of its mouth as it sniffled and snorted, trying to keep itself awake as it slowly began to fall behind the horizon.

_The silent treatment, huh? Oh, I see how it is, I see how it is. _The voice said, sounding both sarcastic and annoyed.

_Then shut up!_ Gajeel snapped.

Gajeel hated to think that the voice may have been right. He wasn't special; there were hundreds of weapons in the FTWMA, and even more in the world. There were hundreds of axes just like him, and a quarter of them were probably more powerful. Did he say a quarter? He meant more like 3%. Not even, 2% of the weapons in the world were more powerful than he was.

After all, he was the great and powerful Gajeel. If anyone were to surpass God (and he wasn't saying anyone would), it would be him.

But . . . what did that say about him? He _hadn't _surpassed god, he was only a teenager in a school that just happened to be able to turn into an axe. But he wasn't the only person who could become a weapon; the practice was actually extremely common. Yes, he was special, but just barely.

And once upon a time, he wasn't even _just_ _barely _anything.

ヽ(´Д｀)人(´Д｀)人(´Д｀)ノ〜

_He was so close. _

_One moment, his father was reading him a story and his mother was reading her own book. Gajeel was proud of his newfound counting and reading skills, to which his father rewarded him by giving him a book. Gajeel, however, quickly proved that his reading skills weren't that great and had his father read the book to him. It was an amazing story about a king and a holy sword, as they went on daring adventures with each other. _

_Then the ground began to vibrate, the pictures shaking in their place on the shelves, as if they were terrified about what was yet to come. Gajeel clutched onto his father's shirt, trying to pretend as if nothing was happening. It was an earthquake, it was bound to pass. A bit of fear flashed in his father's eyes, but he returned to reading, as if nothing was going on. _

_Gajeel's mother looked up from her book, fear practically glowing in her eyes, which were as red as her son's "Metalicana, what's going o__―__?" _

_And it all crashed. _

_He was so close._

_Gajeel emerged from the rubble, coughing and spluttering, looking around desperately for any sign or trace of his mother or father. They were nowhere to be seen. Gajeel began to dig through the rubble, trying to find his parents. He heard the sound of heels against stone, and looked up. _

_The creature was cloaked, and judging by its actions, Gajeel guessed that it hadn't seen him yet. A pair of glowing yellow eyes came from beneath his hood, along with putrid breath and teeth like a shark's. It sniffed the air, a reptile tongue darting out of its toothy mouth like a snake. When it turned, Gajeel could see the letters imprinted onto its hood. He squinted, mouthing the sounds of the letters. _

_Fa-an-t-um L-o-r-d_

_Phantom Lord. _

_Gajeel didn't know how, and he didn't know why, but he knew he was in danger. He spun on his heels, taking off towards the street. He was barefoot, and the stray stones stabbed his feet while the concrete scratched it. He was still in his everyday clothing__―__thank the lord__―__but that didn't necessarily make him run faster. _

_He was so close. _

_The cloaked figure, the Phantom Lord, caught up with him as it were child's play, something as easy as breathing. Gajeel could've made it, he could've lived. The creature held him by his collar, strangling him around the neck and leaving a fine red line where the fabric dug into his skin. He could feel the creature's horrible breath on his skin and on his face, and he knew he was going to die. He was six, he was supposed to be starting first grade soon. He was scared. He was tired. He wanted to go home and have his father read him a story and his mother kiss him goodnight. But it was all too late for that. _

_The creature raised a jagged claw, impaling it into Gajeel's heart. He screamed in agony, feeling the venom take immediate action in his body. The poison set in his veins, running through him as a part of his blood. He kicked and screamed, but he didn't need to struggle for much longer. The Phantom Lord dropped him on the ground, leaving the boy, hurt, scared, and alone on the concrete. The Phantom Lord had left him there to die. _

_He was so close. _

｡*: (´・ω・人・ω・`)｡:゜ ｡

He should've died. The venom should've killed him. He should've been a rotting corpse six feet underground.

But he wasn't.

It was a mystery to all science and logic, but he hadn't died. The venom hadn't destroyed his body, but instead, turned it into a literal human weapon. The day he'd woken up on the street with a scratch over his heart was the day turning into an axe became as easy as breathing. And on that day, there was an unattached voice in his head, criticizing his every move. And he had no idea why.

In that way . . . Gajeel guessed he was a little bit special.

(^_^;) (^^ゞ (^^;)

_**Ok, I know it was short, but I hope it was good. (*-.-) By the way, that "voice" called Gajeel a guillotine because he's an axe, and hopefully you guys know what a guillotine is. **_

_**The next chapter will be up Friday! **_

_**Aye, Sir!, **_

_**Ninja **_


	8. Secrets in the Mist

_**I know I promised that this chapter would come out on Friday, but I'm bad at this whole . . . "schedule" thing. But I'm only two days late, if that helps. I'm sorry!**_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. **_

_**~ * ~ * 8 ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ * Secrets in the Mist ~ * ~ ***_

_**Gray and Juvia's horrifying discovery?**_

"Shit!" Natsu exclaimed, taking a step away from his locker "Shit _everywhere_! And it's going to fit!"

"Can you be any less dramatic?" Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow. Natsu had set all of his things─books, snacks, CDs, pictures, everything─on the floor in front of his locker. Natsu had even arranged them in color order; he was completely obsessed with making his locker as neat as it could possibly be.

"Shut up," Natsu growled, picking up a book and shoving it in his locker. So much for neatness.

Natsu had shoved about nine books in his locker before he looked down the hall, and then cocked his head to the side. There was a familiar boy with a mess of dark hair at his locker. He noticed a little too late that the by had been looking at him too, then the boy's face broke out in a smile.

"Hey, Natsu. When'd you start going here?"

"_Gray?_" Natsu shouted, dropping everything and running over to his best friend "You go _here_? Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I did," Gray said, raising an eyebrow "What did you think 'FTWMA' stood for?"

"I don't know . . . but not this! Are you a weapon or a Meister?"

"Meister, you?"

"Me, too!"

"Oh, my god!" the two gave a rather dramatic fist pump, and said in sync "_Brothers!_"

"I take it you two know each other?" Lucy asked, smirking and crossing her arms.

"Are you kidding me? He's been my best friend since kindergarten!" Natsu exclaimed, giving his signature toothy grin "Lucy, this is─"

"Gray," Lucy answered for him, giving a small smile. "I know him, Natsu, we're friends"

"Oh," Natsu took a step away from his friend, his smile leaving his face as quickly as it came "Really?"

"Yeah, man, why?" Gray asked, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"No reason," Natsu glared at him, taking a step back, the tone in his voice and look in his eyes made it seem like he'd been awfully and cruelly betrayed "No reason _at all_"

"Dude, you're making it sound like I killed your father" Gray said awkwardly.

"You might as well have," Natsu muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing"

"_Gray-Sama!_" Natsu turned, seeing Juvia run up the hallway. She stopped, her glare slowly making its way from Lucy to Natsu, like some sort of plague.

"Natsu-San," Juvia gave nod in his direction, grabbing Gray's arm and latching onto it like a magnet to your grandma's fridge. Judging by the look of utter pain in Gray's face, it seemed like she was digging her fingernails into his skin. It also seemed that he was too scared to try to get her off.

Juvia narrowed her eyes in Lucy's direction, and hissed "_love rival_"

"Good Morning, Juvia" Lucy gave a smile, waving. Juvia only scowled (at least, Natsu thought she did. The dark aura around her was so intense it was hard to see her facial expression) and tightened her grip on Gray's arm.

"Gray-Sama, you need to go on a mission with Juvia," Juvia said, tugging on his arm so he would look to her. "They haven't done a mission in a long time. If Gray-Sama and Juvia don't go on a mission, they'll get out of practice"

"Yeah, ok," Gray said, giving one last acknowledgment to Natsu and Lucy before leaving with Juvia. Natsu was a little curious to what exactly a "mission" was, and why someone would let two fourteen-year-olds on one alone, but he wasn't going to question that. However, he was going to question other things.

"Why does Juvia talk in third person? I don't know her that well," Natsu asked, turning to Lucy "Why does she call you 'love rival'? And why's she so obsessed with Gray?"

"Natsu, it's all very simple" Lucy said, picking one of his books off the floor and putting it in his locker, it was the neatest placement in his entire locker. "She's crazy"

（ ´∀｀） （⌒▽⌒）（＾ｖ＾）

By the next night, Juvia was in one of the happiest forms Gray had ever seen her in. After she'd eaten an evil soul, her mood had escalated rather quickly. The two talked quickly as they walked around the school, trying to find Igneel-Sensei so they could get their make-up work for the day.

At the times where Gray could actually talk to Juvia, he realized why they were partners. True, the girl was a little bit insane. But she was also funny, smart, and a good person. No one knew Juvia like Gray did, that he knew for a fact.

"Gray-Sama?" Juvia asked "What is your favorite class?"

"Training, so I can fight people," Gray said, "Yours?"

"History, so Juvia can learn about the past" Juvia said, holding her own hands behind her back.

"What's the point of learning history? It happened," Gray said with a roll of his eyes.

"So we can learn from their mistakes, and prevent them from happening again." Juvia said, giving him a dirty look "The only reason we know better today is because of the things we learned in the past"

"Yeah, yeah, I say live in today. Forget yesterday" Gray scoffed, resting his hands behind his head.

"Juvia likes yesterday. It led to today," Juvia whispered, "And Juvia . . . Juvia l-loved today . . ."

Gray glanced at his partner, and even though she was looking away from him, he could see the redness in her face. He smiled to himself. How could she get so embarrassed from saying something so simple? He thought that was cute.

"Yeah, I loved it, too" Gray responded, and then smirked when he heard Juvia squeal to herself. In her little squeal, she tripped over her own feet and stumbled back into Gray's chest.

"G-Gray-S-Sama!" Juvia exclaimed, her face turning the color of ripe tomatoes as she jumped back, throwing her arms around in every direction "Juvia i-is so _sorry_"

"Juvia, Juvia, calm down," Gray exclaimed, grabbing her by the wrists and pulling her forward, their faces just inches apart. For whatever reason, Juvia's eyes widened, the redness of her face lessening to a shade of pink in her cheeks, that was still very noticeable on her pale skin. Her lips slightly parted, Gray could feel her breath on his skin, on his cheeks. She was breathing hard, and his heart was beating at the speed of sound.

"Just . . . calm down," Gray whispered, resting a hand on her shoulder. He only noticed then how pretty her eyes were; a dark shade of blue, like the ocean at twilight. A shade so dark you could hardly see her pupils, but in a way that made her eyes look even prettier. It was so easy to get lost in those eyes and never find your way out.

Gray leaned in closer to her face, feeling her breath on his cheeks. She was breathing both rapidly and silently, as his lips neared hers . . .

Gray glanced over her shoulder, seeing a spot of light in the starless dark sky. He paused, squinting over her shoulder into the sky. Juvia turned, only barley, but failed to follow his gaze.

"Gray-Sama, is something wrong?" Juvia asked "Did . . . did Juvia do something wrong?"

"No, no, I just think I see─" Gray started, and then only noticed the figure getting closer by every second. "_Get down_!"

He leapt forward, tacking Juvia to the ground as the wall exploded in a shower of dust and rubble. Shielding Juvia with his own body, Gray coughed and turned, seeing a pair of cloaked figures.

The first cloaked figure was dressed in a dark purple, and he scuttled along the floor like a lizard. A black tail darted out from behind him, his skin black and his hands gnarled into claws. His hood seemed to be full of darkness, and a pair of glowing yellow eyes along with a reptilian tongue darting out of his mouthful of pointy teeth, tasting the air.

The figure standing upright wore a cloak the color of sand, and it was ripped and torn at the edges and hems. The sandy-cloaked figure had his back turned from Gray, and he seemed to be walking barefoot along what used to be a spotless marble floor. Though he couldn't tell for certain, this one seemed to be the one in command.

"_Is it heeeeerrrre?_" the figure in the purple cloak slithered upright to his feet, his back to Gray. Across the creature's back, where his shoulder blades would be on a human, the words _Phantom Lord _were printed on the back of its cloak.

It was easy to tell that this thing─this Phantom Lord─was a Kishin Egg, and judging by the fact that it could talk, it must be one of the more intelligent ones. But even though it could talk, its speech pattern was filled with hisses and snarls, like a snakes or another wild animal's.

"No," The one in the sand-colored cloak said, stopping as if looking for something "I can't sense it. Let's go, Phantom."

"Juvia, transform!" Gray hissed, his partners transforming into a small flash of light. Gray steadied himself, the brass knuckles getting comfortable on his hands. He growled, and then leapt forward, letting out a battle cry as he ran towards the one in the sand-colored cloak.

Phantom was the first to look, his yellow eyes widening as he exclaimed "_Lord Zeref, look out!_"

Without fear and with slight hesitation, the one in the sand-colored cloak turned. His hair was black as midnight, his eyes a blood red as he scowled at the young Meister. Gray's eyes widened as he saw the three vertical eyes he had located around his neck, on his front shoulder blades, knowing what they meant. As well as what they stood for.

"He's a Kishin!" Gray exclaimed, only hesitating for a mere second. But that was long enough for the Kishin, Zeref, to grab him by the head and send him soaring backwards. He crashed into the wall headfirst, the blood trickling down the side of his head, over his forehead and into his eyes.

Juvia transformed back into her human form, grabbing Gray's head and resting it on her lap as she screamed. The boy was out cold, blood dotting in his eyelashes like tiny rubies.

"Gray-Sama!" Juvia shrieked "Gray-Sama, wake up! Gray-Sama─!"

Juvia screamed as Phantom grabbed her by the hair, and she felt his disgusting nails dig into her scalp. She kicked and screamed, thrashing around, trying to escape the Phantom's grasp. But it was no use. She didn't have her transformation gloves, and Gray was knocked unconscious. She was rendered useless against the Phantom Lord.

"_Tiiiiime to sleeeep, girlie_" Phantom hissed, into her ear, its black tongue licking the side of Juvia's face. The Kishin Egg slammed Juvia into the ground head first; a sickening _crack_ was to be heard as her head hit the floor. Juvia's eyes widened in shock and pain, as tears dotted her eyes, and she let out a shriek of pain.

"That wasn't enough, Phantom," Zeref said, turning to him. Juvia howled and sobbed, blood trickling down the side of her face. Zeref lashed out a hand, slapping the girl across the face. The impact was enough for Juvia to move over, her eyes fluttering shut and knocking her out, cold.

"It makes me so sad," Zeref said, walking towards the opening in the wall "To see children in pain." He glanced to the unconscious boy in girl, to the boy who was obviously going to die from the blood that seemed to be pouring out of his skull, to the girl who felt every bit of the pain that caused her to fall unconscious.

"It's too bad," Zeref sighed "All these poor children are going to feel so much pain. I'm going to be so miserable soon"

(;° ロ°) ヽ（゜ロ゜；）ノ （°o°；）

_**Well this was depressing to write . . .**_

_**I'm sorry if it was depressing to read. But anyway, questions: are Gray and Juvia going to die? What's Zeref planning? For those of you who haven't read / watched Soul Eater, what is a Kishin? Why wasn't that GrUvia moment completed?!**_

_**Find out next chapter. ;) **_

_**Aye, Sir!, **_

**青忍者マンガ****22**


	9. Memories for the Fallen

_**This may be pretty soon, since I only posted the last chapter a day ago. But I really wanted to write this chapter, even if it is kind of a filler chapter. Anyways, I do hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

_**Anyway, I started a writing contest last month. And I know this is extremely late (Sorry!) but here's the winner of the contest. It's also up on my profile, but the winner is Midnight Rendezvous by Jacob Rhys Lewis. It's a great story. It's a one-shot, it's in character, well-written, descriptive, it's got a great plot and a cute resolve, and it's all around amazing.**_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. But I can't stress how much I wish I did. Please, God, just one of them! Just one!**_

_**~ * ~ * 9 ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ * Memories for the Fallen ~ * ~ * **_

_**Will Gray and Juvia make it to another day? **_

"Gray!"

Natsu was horrified at how much blood there was. It was all over the walls, dripping to the floor, surrounding him. And it came from both Gray and Juvia, who were knocked out. Stone and rubble crumbled around them, a gaping hole in the wall. And there was the smell, the awful, rustic smell of blood that made Natsu's nose wrinkle in disgust and horror.

Lucy was crying, tears streaming down the side of her face and her nose pink and stuffy. She took Juvia's head in her lap, repeatedly saying that she wanted her to be ok.

And then there was Gray. He was broken, the blood mixed into his black hair, turning it a shade of horrible dark red. Blood was stained around his mouth; it was in his eyelashes, all over his face.

"Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, carefully grabbing his friend and draping his arm around his own shoulders "Get Juvia, we need to get them to the hospital, fast!"

* * *

"_You're short by ten cents," the man behind the counter said, only seconds after Natsu had bitten into his pretzel. The six-year-old looked up; a tiny piece of pretzel fell from his mouth in shock. _

"_What?" he asked. "How much is five cents?"_

"_This much," the man sighed, holding up five fingers to demonstrate. "It's also called a nickel" _

"_What does a nickel look like?" Natsu asked. _

"_It's smaller than a quarter but bigger than a dime," the vender said. "And it's silver. It looks like this" he took a nickel out of the cash register, holding it between his thumb and his index finger. _

"_Oh," Natsu smiled, taking another bite out of his pretzel. "Then you don't need a nickel from me, you already have one."_

_The man narrowed his eyes "I need _another_ nickel, from you." _

_Natsu stuck a hand in his pocket, finding a paperclip, a dust bunny, and raisin that was moving. He shook the moving raisin off his hand, giving an innocent smile at the vender. _

"_I've already bitten into it," Natsu said. "And you already have a nickel, so can't you just let this one slide?"_

"_Sorry, kid, but I need five cents" the man said, sternly. _

"_What? But I've already bitten it! Why do you want a half-eaten pretzel anyway?" Natsu exclaimed, horrified, taking a step back "This is injustice! This is─!" _

"_It's alright," a boy around his age ran up, standing on his tiptoes only to reach over the counter, he handed the man a nickel. "I'll pay for it"_

"_You've gotten lucky kid," the man said, sticking the nickel in his cash register. _

"_Thanks," Natsu said, turning to the boy. His personal savior was buying a pretzel for himself, taking a bite into it. _

"_You're welcome. He wasn't being nice, anyway. You already bit into it," the boy said, smiling. He had dark eyes and spiked black hair, a mess of black hair, actually. "My name's Gray, Gray Fullbuster"_

"_My name is Natsu Dragneel" Natsu smiled. "You want to go to the park?" _

* * *

Natsu sat in the plastic (and uncomfortable) hospital chairs, sitting between Gray and Juvia's beds. Their lifelines were steady and peaceful, yet there was no telling if it was going to stop any time soon. Their heads was covered in bandages. Gray's skull was cracked, and Juvia's was very, very badly bruised.

He found himself staring at the floor between his feet, twiddling his thumbs. He knew he shouldn't blame himself, how was he supposed to know that something was going to happen when they came back for make-up work? But that didn't stop him from blaming himself.

He glanced to his best friend; the boy who made it so far since the day he met him. There was the kid who paid for the missing five cents, and then there was the boy who was lying on his death bed.

And how much did he not know about his best friend? This girl, Juvia, he hardly knew her at all. He thought of her only as the weird girl who scowled at him whenever she saw him; the crazy girl who hated him for the slight chance that he might know Gray better than she did. And he regretted ever thinking that about her. Not when he didn't know her.

* * *

_Natsu sat at where Gray's bus came by every afternoon, dangling his legs over the side of the park bench. If he'd been going to school with his friend, he'd be in the second grade now. In that way, he kind of hated being home schooled. But he knew no other way. _

_He watched the bus roll up, a smile starting at the corners of his mouth. Gray jumped off the bus first, running over to his friend. They took off right away, making their way to the park, and more specifically, the basketball court. _

"_What'd you learn about?" Natsu asked, his curiosity about "school" growing more and more everyday. _

"_About stuff," Gray snickered. "Stuff I'm not supposed to tell _you _about!"_

"_C'mon, that's not fair!" Natsu narrowed his eyes in annoyance. _

"_Sorry, secrets are secrets" Gray tossed the ball, sending it soaring through the air, but bouncing off the hoop. _

"_Ha! You flopped!" Natsu laughed, joke mockingly. "That's what you get for not telling me about─!" _

_Natsu paused, looking over Gray's shoulder and into the bushes. Had it not been for his keen sight, he wouldn't have seen her. A young girl, she was hiding behind a tree, doing nothing but watching the two of them play. She looked, oddly . . . sad. _

"_Who's she?" Natsu asked. _

"_Huh?" Gray turned, meeting his gaze. "Oh, I don't really know. I've been seeing her all day, though, so she must live around here and go to my school". _

"_Maybe she wants to play ball with us," Natsu said, walking up to the girl and signaling for Gray to follow him. The girl cringed and hid a bit more behind her tree when the two of them walked over, her blue eyes innocent and huge. _

"_Hi!" Natsu smiled. "I'm Natsu, what's your name?"_

_The girl simply stared at him, hiding behind the trees a bit more. She didn't answer. _

"_Do you want to play with us?" Natsu offered. "It can't be a one-on-one game, but maybe we could play catch or something."_

_The girl shook her head quickly, still not saying a word. _

"_What's wrong?" Gray asked. "Can you talk?"_

_The girl nodded. _

"_So why don't you?" Natsu asked. _

_The girl simply stared at them, refusing to come out from behind her tree. Her bottom lip quivered, and she looked like she was about to cry. _

"_Hey, are you ok?" Natsu asked. "You can still play ball with us, you don't have to talk"_

_At that moment, a shower of rain came from the sky, from dark clouds Natsu hadn't even noticed were there. The two boys let out small sounds of surprise, as Gray shielded his face with his hand to look up at the sky._

"_When did it start raining?" Gray wondered. "It's so gloomy all of a sudden" _

_And with that, the girl burst into tears, turning on her heels and running towards the trees. The two were unable to follow, her silhouette invisible in the sudden heavy rain. _

"_Hey! Come back!" Gray shouted. "We didn't mean to make you cry!" _

"_What's wrong with her?" Natsu asked, turning to his friend. "She's so . . . so . . . so strange" _

"_I dunno," Gray admitted, and at the next clap of thunder, the two ran off to find whatever cover that could shield them from the rain. _

* * *

To this day, Natsu didn't know why Juvia made it rain. He didn't know why the word 'gloomy' made her so heartbroken. All he knew was that she was different person now then she was back then. But maybe she talked in third person because she was so silent as a child.

Natsu glanced over to the girl, whose chest rose and fael with her slow breathing. She didn't deserve what came to her. Was she still sad? She never did get to play basketball with them.

There was Gray, the boy who he shared many happy memories with. There was the time they saw Spiderman together, and then went through spider after spider, trying to find a radioactive one that matched the one in the movie so they could have superpowers, too. The time Natsu got his tongue stuck to a pond in the woods, and Gray got lost trying to find him when he got help. The time when he found out that they were finally going to the same school, just yesterday.

There was the girl he knew nothing about, but he simply knew she was a good person. He only knew the Juvia of his childhood, the young girl, the sad girl, who refused to say a word. But somehow, in someway, Gray got her to talk, to become his weapon. How did he do that? Why did he do that? There was so much about Juvia that Natsu didn't even know.

_How did this happen? _Natsu thought. Just yesterday, he was laughing with his friend. He found out they were going to the same school. He believed Lucy when she called Juvia crazy, even though she didn't mean it. Not by how much she sobbed when she saw the poor girl sprawled out on the floor, covered in her own blood.

Just yesterday, they were all together, and undoubtedly, they were all happy. And they had no idea what was going to come just a few hours later. They had no idea that by the next day, they wouldn't know if Gray and Juvia would be alive to see another hour.

He glanced over, seeing Lucy asleep on Juvia's hospital bed. She'd been sitting on a chair next to her, but ended up falling asleep in the space between the end of the bed and Juvia's body. Lucy cared so much for someone who called her a rival.

"N . . . Natsu . . .?"

Natsu's eyes widened, his head jolted to the side. Gray's eyes weren't open, but he was talking. Natsu knew he heard his voice, and he could see his friend's lips moving.

"Gray? Are you awake?" Natsu asked.

"W . . . why am I . . . here?" Gray asked, his eyes still closed.

"You're hurt, dude. And bad" Natsu whistled. "Do you remember who did this to you?"

"A . . . Kish . . . In . . ." Gray muttered. ". . . Kishin . . . and . . . Phantom . . . Lord"

"Kishin?" Natsu asked. "You mean a Kishin Egg, right?"

"N-no . . ." Gray muttered, his words slowing. "Kishin, Natsu . . . Kishin"

* * *

_**I know this is a filler, but I still enjoyed writing it! And if you're noticing that there aren't any emoji to separate paragraphs, it's because I was lazy, and the lines are easier. **_

_**Once again, the contest winner is Jacob Rhys Lewis with Midnight**__** Rendezvous. **_

_**Like it, love it, hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!, **_

青忍者マンガ22


	10. the First Mission

_**Sorry this chapter took so long, guys! I guess a chapter will be up by next week end, or by Tuesday, since I have Tuesday off from school. Yes, I'm still in grade school. **_

_**But, in other news, a friend of mine posted a story. It's Fairy Tail, and it's using one of my O.C.s (K**__**ō**__**ri, from Stained). I love it already (as there's only one chapter), I think he's an amazing writer. It's called Dragon Unison: the Fire Dragon's Tale and it's by SlayerOfTime. **_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. **_

_**~ * ~ * 10 ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ * the First Mission ~ * ~ ***_

_**Natsu and Lucy's Encounter with the Blood Countess?**_

Water dripped off the bricks as vapor and droplets of water. Vines and ivy grew along the walls, in the total darkness, as a single light bulb hung from the ceiling, swinging in a breeze that seemed invisible to the senses. There was a single table, and a TV playing a single, static filled channel. This hideout was abandoned years ago, but was in use now for a three reasons: it was remote, underground, and impossible to find.

Sitting at the table were three incredibly infamous Kishin Egg. There was the cloaked menace, one called Phantom Lord, who seemed to be the one most interested in decoding whatever the TV was saying. The other two were deep in conversation.

There was one that looked to be more catlike that anything. He allowed people to see his face, though it was covered in fur and had a nose like a cat's, but eyes slit and yellow like a snake's. Its feline tail was always wagging as if in permanent anger, jagged claws coming from his finger nails and yellow fangs coming from his mouth, along with a set of crooked teeth. He dressed like he may have in life, with tattered jeans, a white tank top, and―rather ironically―a set of dog tags dangling around his neck. But all of his clothing had been ripped or torn from any of his temper tantrums. This was the Kishin Egg that went by the name Saber Tooth.

Then there was the third, which could have been easily mistaken for a human, had it tried to hide it. Its face was human, and almost handsome, with black hair, pale skin, and sharp features. But its eyes were as red as blood, without pupils, so his eyes were like red disks. A pair of black raven's wings sprouted from his back, wrapping around his body, and one could hear his raven's talons scratching and clawing at the ground. He wore a black hoodie, with a cross necklace and jeans that were ripped and torn and covered in mud. The only thing that differed him from an actual raven was the tail that sprouted from his back, like no other animal, one seemed to reptile even for a reptile, black and scaly like a demon. This was the Kishin Egg known as Raven Tail.

Then there was the boy who sat isolated from the three Kishin Eggs; the Kishin himself, Zeref. A Kishin was a creature who had consumed so many innocent souls that his body was too evil, too monstrous, to even be a monster anymore. A Kishin was a creature completely consumed by madness, a killer beyond any limits. Pure evil in a human body.

However, at the moment in question, Zeref hardly looked to be the creature of evil he'd turned himself into. The boy sat in the corner of the room, letting water drip on his head, his legs crossed as he sat on the cold stone floor. He pulled back a ball on the Newton's Cradle, and released it. He listened to the clicks they made, and then pulled it back again. It was an endless, meaningless cycle that was completely addicting.

"We have to find it soon," Saber Tooth said, whispering to Raven Tail as quiet as he could musk. "Before Lord Death and his son find us—"

"Shut up!" Zeref snapped, grabbing the nearest weapon (a rusty yet sharp sword leaning against a wall), leaping to his feet and pointing it at Saber Tooth. The Kishin Egg let out a catlike yowl that was a mixture of fear and surprise; he wasn't even aware that the Kishin could even hear him. But now that he knew that Zeref could, he felt fear prickle at his skin. He was deathly and utterly terrified of the Kishin who was known as Zeref.

"Ugh." Zeref growled, clenching his teeth, his eyes turning blood red in anger. "I hate the living. It would do me a lot more good just to kill both of you on the spot".

Raven and Saber looked just as terrified as they felt, and even more so as a pretty girl with white hair and a witch's hat walked up behind Zeref, resting a hand on his shoulder. This was a woman known in her coven for her cruelty and her charm; she could tell him anything and convince him to do it, all in a single breath.

"Now, now, Zer-Chan." The woman said with a smile. "We need them to do our dirty work, remember?"

Zeref sighed, and then drops his weapon. "I remember, Angel-Sama".

Angel gave a smile that could either light a candle or kill a puppy. "Good, darling," she whispered. "But when this is all over, you may kill whoever you like. Would you like that?"

Zeref nodded, and then returned to his place on the floor. He began to play with his Newton's Cradle just as another person entered the room.

"I-Chan," Angel smiled. "Doesn't that sound so much like your real name, Ivan-Sama?"

"You know I hate it when you call me that," Ivan Dreyar snaps. "And what's of my father's school? Has it fallen to ashes yet?"

"Not quite," Angel glanced at Zeref, who was still playing with his Newton's cradle, and then whispered "He's more unstable then we thought, Ivan-Sama, that boy is truly insane. It may take a while"

"As long as that school falls, I don't care," Ivan said. "Baby steps, you see, are still steps".

"You do realize that if you father falls, your son will fall with him?" Angel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You heard what the court said. And more importantly; you heard what he said," Ivan gripped the table in anger. "He isn't my son. Laxus Dreyar is about as much as my son as Zeref is. If anything, Angel, you are my child".

The witch Angel smiled, showing her pearly white teeth. "I am very honored . . . Father"

* * *

"Alright, Kishin Egg! You're going _down_!" Natsu shouted into the black skies of Death City. This was his and Lucy's first official mission, out to find Elizabeth Bathory, A.K.A. the Blood Countess. There had been reports all over the city that a woman around 43 had been capturing and eating or drinking the blood of her victims (mostly female virgins) as well as eating the souls of them.

"_Don't yell, or else she'll find us_" Lucy's voice was more of an echo, as her reflection appeared in the katana Natsu was holding. Natsu rolled his eyes; for someone so smart, Lucy could be so stupid sometimes.

"Duh, Lucy, we _want_ to fight her" Natsu said, giving a toothy grin.

"_Natsu, we need the element of__―__look out!_" Lucy shrieked. Natsu was about to make a comment on the 'element of look out' when he turned, seeing the Blood Countess in all of her glory. She looked more like a zombie than anything, with chalk pale skin that looked like it was going to fall off her body at any second. Her eyes were sunken and hollow, empty, as she growled, showing rotting teeth filled with what looked to be a horribly disgusting mixture of blood and saliva. Her dress, which once could've been very pretty, was in tatters, covered in dirt and blood. The Countess hissed, and then leapt with the agility of a cat.

The Countess first made a mode to Lucy, even in her weapon form. With a bloodied dagger, the weapon was thrown out of Natsu's hands. Lucy had tried to go back into her human form and keep herself from crashing, but the poor girl got her entire body slammed into a wall anyways. Blood trickled down her side in what could've been pools, as she gritted her teeth, running back to Natsu. By the time she had reached her partner, she had already returned to her weapon form. And by that time, the Countess had also gotten a good slash at Natsu's leg, causing blood to drip down his thiegh and onto the stones. He gritted his teeth and gripped the handle of Lucy's katana, he could feel the exposure of muslce, how open it was by the air currents against it. It made him feel weak, voulnerable, but he ignored it.

"Lucy, are you alright?" Natsu exclaimed, as he charged at the Blood Countess.

"_I'm fine!_" Lucy exclaimed, her reflection appearing in the katana. "_Natsu, stop worrying about me; you need to focus! Both you and this mission are more important than me right now!_"

"Your life is just as important as mine!" Natsu snapped, expecting Lucy to agree. His eyes widened for a brief moment, shocked as his partner didn't answer.

At that moment, the Countess had seemed to disappear into thin air. Natsu immediately became more aware of his surroundings; he could hear the scratching of a rat's paws against the stones, the sound of a cat's tail on a trashcan, the darkness of the alleyway. As he felt the Countess's Soul Wavelength, he began to walk in the direction he felt it coming from. Natsu turned at the nearest noise, not noticing the countess who was nearing from behind him, about to make the fatal strike.

"_Natsu_!" Lucy screamed, returning to her human form as the Countess's dagger grazed her skin.

"Lucy, move!" Natsu shouted, seeing Lucy using her own body as a shield.

"We're partners," Lucy gritted her teeth in pain as more blood dripped down from her hip, down her thigh and onto the cobblestones. "And partners don't abandon each other"

The Countess prepared to strike, as Lucy turned her hand into a katana and stuck it straight through her heart. The countess's eyes widened, as her body collapsed, turning into ashes and leaving nothing but a floating red orb behind.

Lucy reached forward, grabbing the red soul and swallowing it whole. She turned to her partner, giving one last smile. "That's minus one" after she had said those words, the girl collapsed, the blood loss finally getting to her head. Natsu had no idea if she was still awake or not, but he didn't care. He took his partner in his arms, running to the school infirmary as if his life depended on it.

* * *

"When will you start talking to me, again?" Lucy asked, as the two of them headed back to Lucy's apartment. It seemed a bit ironic that as soon as Gray and Juvia left the hospital, Lucy entered it.

"You were being an idiot," Natsu muttered, scowling at her. "Jumping in front of me like that . . . You're my partner, not my shield".

"I'm both, Natsu," Lucy said through gritted teeth. "It's my job. If I have to put my life on the line for your safety—hell, if I need to die to keep you alive, it's my duty to do it. Your duty is to fight; mine is to protect. I told you that when we were fighting the Countess, Natsu, that's how it works".

"Then the system is stupid!" Natsu snapped; his eyes narrowed in anger. Lucy was surprised for a mere second, and then she remembers that he was new to the whole Weapon-Meister thing. He didn't know of the traditional ways or how things are "supposed" to go.

"It may be stupid," Lucy retorted. "But it's what I do. If something were to happen to me, you'd have to—"

"Have to _what_?!" Natsu growled with a new, sudden ferocity. "I don't want another partner, I don't want another weapon, and I don't want another friend. I don't want to live in this world without you, Lucy, let alone go to this damn school without you!"

It took him a few second to realize what he said, and then his eyes widen "I—I didn't mean—". But Lucy threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, tears threatening to leak out of the corners of her eyes. No one had said anything like that to her since her parents died, and not since that "incident" that had happened a few years ago.

In a few seconds, Natsu found himself staring into Lucy's eyes. They were a golden, chocolate brown color, ones that looked too pretty to be crying. He felt his heart ringing in his ears, leaping to his throat, and thundering in his chest, all at the same time. He hadn't been this nervous since he and the twins broke his dad's prized bowling trophy. His nervousness was silenced, however, when he saw a figure outside the window.

With his soul-seeing ability, he was able to see the biggest and maybe strongest soul he'd ever seen.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, just as Natsu realized the impending danger.

"_Get down!_" Natsu shouted, taking her to the ground just seconds before the wall exploded, a strange girl flying in with leathery black wings. The girl was around their age, with blue-green eyes and a hair color that sat between brown and blonde. She didn't even notice them, walking right past and going to the trophy case. She ran her fingers along the glass, as if unsure what to do.

"_Break it, you dunce_" an unattached voice said.

"But . . . It's hard," the girl whispered, her voice sounding sad. "I don't know how to deal with hard objects. . ."

Then something springs from her back—a humongous creature with x's over its eyes. It began to do all sorts of violent things to the poor girl (who seemed miserable enough already); pulling her hair, hitting her on the head, calling her names. Natsu and Lucy exchanged a glance, then Lucy transformed into a katana. Natsu leapt up, running towards her, planning to catch the girl by surprise.

But the creature on her back turned before the girl even noticed somebody was there, and then exclaimed at the top of its lungs. "Move!"

The girl moved out of the way at the last possible second, her eyes wide.

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu asked. "What are you going here?"

"Kill him!" the creature exclaimed.

"But, Midnight. . . He's a boy . . ." The girl said, looking to the floor and making circles with her feet. "I don't know how to deal with boys . . ."

"Just KILL HIM!" Midnight exclaimed, turning into a black sword that seemed to be bigger than its wielder. It shone and glinted in the moonlight, a white stripe going down the center of the sword. Judging by the look of the sword, it was as sharp as it was pretty.

Natsu attacked, deciding to get this over with as fast as possible. But the girl is dizzy and wobbly, randomly swinging around her sword. Natsu got annoyed quickly by her sloppiness, and then made a slash at her neck. He didn't cut off her head, but it made a small cut, and a trickle of black blood fell down the side of her neck.

The girl touched the side of her neck, and then looked to her hand, then showed it to Natsu "Did you know my blood is black?"

Natsu's eyes widened, and then he gritted his teeth "No".

"I do," the girl answered, and then looked up. "But I guess you know n—". Natsu cut her off, ramming his swords hilt into the girl's stomach, and then proceeding to ram his elbow and she falls back into the ground.

"You let your guard down AGAIN, you worthless brat!" Midnight snapped, and the girl looked up. She looked different than before, more crazy and angry. Her eyes were wide, mad, and insane. She licked her lips, than wobbly stood up.

"I hate—hate—hate the living," the girl growled, keeping a tight grip on her sword. "I'll just kill you both right now; I bet dead people are a lot easier to deal with".

"Well, you won't find that out today!" Natsu exclaimed, charging at her. But the girl held her sword out in front of her.

"Midnight: Scream Resonance!" the girl exclaimed, and then a horrible scream filled the room as a pair of lips appeared on the sword. It was like knives going through the air, and Natsu felt his ears bleeding. He covered his ears and ending up dropping Lucy in the process

"Don't drop me!" Lucy shrieked, her reflection appearing on the sword.

Natsu tried to make a grab for her, but she turned back to human and held out her arms, shielding him with her body. The girl stopped, and then looked at him funny. A weak, crippled, limping girl was trying to protect this boy. And she was panting and breathing hard, she had no chance.

"Lucy, move!" Natsu snapped. "We talked about this; you're not going to be my shield"

"You're not going to hurt him, Michelle!" Lucy snapped "You're not going to hurt my friend!"

Natsu's eyes widened for two very different reasons. One, because he just got friend-zoned in a way. And two, because she was threatening the girl when she didn't have the strength to win against her. She didn't usually do that. The girl's eyes watered, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes before they turned into full-out sobs.

"Your . . . Friend . . ." The girl whispered. "You have a friend. . . Nee-San . . ." the tears sobbed as suddenly as they came, as the girl then scowled at Lucy. "How dare you forget _me_?!"

She rushed forward, preparing to get Natsu. But Lucy acted quick, grabbing the blade with her own hand. The blood dripped down her palm and the blade, and then the girl slashed out at her. It was a clean cut from the hip to the shoulder, blood pouring out.

"LUCY!" Natsu shouted, seeing her collapse. He rushed towards Michelle, punching her clean across the face. She bled a bit, and then the strangest thing happened. As if going back in time, the bruise went from its current color back to normal skin, any cut of blood turning back to skin. It only took a few seconds for Natsu to realize that the girl had healed herself.

She jumped back, falling out of the giant hole in the wall, like a child falling back onto a mattress. After a few seconds of falling, the girl sprouted her black wings and soared of into the night sky.

Natsu was bleeding, limping and his ears hurt. But he picked up Lucy, carrying her bridal style, and then ran off towards the hospital. She'd done this for him. She was only like this; she was only dying because of him. This was all his fault, all his.

_I've really screwed up._

* * *

_**So, new questions: how did Lucy know the girl's name? What did the girl mean by "how dare you forget me?" Why did the girl call her "Née-San"?**_

_**For those of you who're wondering, "the girl" isn't an OC. All will make sense soon, my precious readers!**_

_**I for one have noticed that couples alone near a window in this fic usually get attacked. Huh. I'm not being un-creative, it'll all fall together in the end, I promise!**_

_** A reminder:**_

_**A friend of mine posted a story. It's Fairy Tail, and it's using one of my O.C.s (Kōri, from Stained). I love it already (as there's only one chapter), I think he's an amazing writer. It's called Dragon Unison: the Fire Dragon's Tale and it's by SlayerOfTime.**_

_**Like it, love it, hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!, **_

ブルー忍者マンガ22


	11. Bonus: the Legend of the Holy Sword

_**I'm trolling with you guys. ;) Hope you still love me!**_

_**~ * ~ * Bonus Chapter 1 ~ * ~ * **_

_**~ * ~ * the Legend of the Holy Sword ~ * ~ * **_

_**The Itazura Sh**__**ō**__**jo's Daring Adventure? **_

"This is so _lame_!" Aya exclaimed, rolling her eyes at her teacher. "Gildarts-Kun, this is completely unfair!"

"Yeah, can't you give us a punishment that's less torture?" Inuria asked, crossing her arms. "Like cleaning the bathrooms or ripping our hair out?"

"We're at school, Aya, I'm Gildarts-_Sensei_" Gildarts said, giving her a look of steel. "And no, you broke the rules by contacting Lord Death from the school. You know the _situation _we're in, and you knew at the time that you weren't allowed to contact Lord Death! Now clean the library before I change your punishment and make you rip your own hair out!"

Aya and Inuria exchanged a glance, waiting until Gildarts exited the library. It was easy to say that the library was neat enough, so Gildarts had obviously given them an easy punishment. However, they didn't want a punishment _at all_. By giving them this kind of 'I-don't-want-to-hurt-you-but-you-broke-the-rules-so-I-have-to-punish-you-somehow' punishment something they couldn't really workwith. Not in the field of complaining, that is.

Not ten minutes had passed, and the twins had given up on all forms of cleaning. They had dug through the Manga section, throwing back books onto the floor, so all sorts of Manga books of nearly every series were spread out along the floor. As Inuria grabbed a volume of _Hetalia_, another book fell off the shelves. Judging by its cover, Inuria guessed that someone had put it in the graphic novel section by accident.

"Hey, check it out, Nee-Chan." Inuria said, showing the book to her sister. "Recognize it from anywhere?"

"Huh?" Aya turned, getting a good look at the book. "Oh, it's just some dusty, boring old book. Some geek must've put it here by accident. Just put it back where you found it, the cover alone is boring me to tears"

"_The Legend of the Holy Sword_," Inuria read off the cover.

"Put it _away_, Nee-Chan!" Aya spat.

"The Graphic Novel"

". . . Open that shit up"

For the next half hour, the twins read through the pictures about the tale of King Arthur. A man who, alongside his powerful weapon, Excalibur, did many great things and defeated many powerful foes. But the most promising part of the story was the sword. Excalibur was a weapon like the twins, but much more powerful. He was a weapon that promised everlasting victory, glory, and honor to his Meister. Whoever wields the sword will be deemed a hero, and will rise above the others adorned with wings of light and stride through the skies. The sword is said to be able to slice through space and time itself. The one who draws the sword is a true warrior, a hero, cutting down all those who stand in opposition.

The sword sounded amazing. And after Excalibur's introduction, the twins had already decided that they wanted that sword, and needed it more than anything.

"Lisanna!" Aya shouted over the bookshelves, causing a good number of people to hiss "_shh!_". Lisanna apologized silently, and then quickly ran over to the twins.

"What the hell?" Lisanna whispered, then had a book shoved into her face. "Huh? Oh, Excalibur, I read that one a while ago. You guys don't actually believe that old Fairy Tale, do you?"

"Lisa-Chan, it's not just a Fairy Tale! Excalibur is a _real weapon_," Inuria said, pointed to the words on the back of the book. At the school's library, they wrote the genre of the book on the back, so it would be easier to arrange the books due to subject. "See? This should be under Historical Graphic Novels"

"We have that as a section?" Lisanna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Who cares?! There's a map in the book," Aya exclaimed, opening up the book. "We can find that sword! Think about it, they allow twin weapons here. I doubt they'll mind us having Excalibur with us; we'll have twice the amount of fighters. We'll get to 100 souls faster if we have Excalibur on our side!"

"True," Lisanna said. "Well, let's find that sword!"

* * *

"Well, here we are"

To be honest, the trip wasn't exactly long. There was a bit of a car ride, then a bit of a rock-climbing challenge, and then they were there. The mouth of the cave was huge and gray, and water covered the bottom of the cave. As the three trudged through the water, a vision of the sword came into view at the edge of the cave. On its own slab of rock, true to the book's word, it was lodged in the stone.

"There it is!" Aya exclaimed, running to the sword at top speed. "I'm gonna get it out!"

"Aya, that thing is trapped in solid stone," Lisanna exclaimed. "Anyway of possibly getting it out is against all the laws of physics―!"

Before Lisanna could even finish her sentence, Aya had easily yanked the sword out of the stone. It came out easily, as if it was coming out of a pile of marshmallows rather than solid rock.

"I did it!" Aya exclaimed, dancing around in circles while swinging the sword all over the place (that's _got _to be dangerous). "Ha! Take that, laws of physics!"

"_Congratulations, hero_!" a voice came from nowhere, booming as if coming from a microphone. Aya shrieked in alarm, dropping the sword on the ground. There was a flash of blinding light, and the sword Excalibur took on its true form.

"It's . . ." Lisanna said.

" . . . So . . ." Inuria gasped.

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

"_Lame_!" the three exclaimed in unison.

The Holy Sword's true form looked like no kind of animal. It was pure white, all over, with circular black eyes, no mouth, and a long beak-like nose. Except it _wasn't_ a beak, it was just shaped like one. Other than its eyes, it had no other facial features. But maybe it had hair; one wouldn't be able to tell, because it was wearing a white top hat. It had a white button-up shirt, with a white tuxedo jacket, and held a cane in its fingerless hands.

"I am Excalibur, the Holy Sword," it said, leaning on its cane. Judging by its voice, they guessed that it was male.

"What the hell are you? A penguin?" Aya asked, raising an eyebrow.

In response, Excalibur poked her in the stomach with his cane so hard she nearly choked. "FOOL! I am no flightless bird! I am a species my own, something of such a great value even God doesn't know what I am!"

"So what are you?" Lisanna asked.

"Fool!" He whisked around and points his cane at her (Lisanna sweat-dropped and held up her hands in her own defense). "You cannot expect a magician to reveal his secrets!"

"So . . . your specific species is a magic trick?" Inuria asked.

"Fool!" Excalibur exclaimed. "My specific species is a magic all its own! It's no mere trick or illusion; it's a thing of pureness! When I was born, the angels must have decided that no species was good enough to be me! So they created something magical all its own, white like purity and snow. But sometimes snow isn't pure, not when it's yellow or dirty. So not like snow, like cotton. But cotton comes from sheep, and I absolutely hate them. I guess like clouds, which turn into water, and water is pure. No, water can obtain filth and clouds turn gray. So what else is white? I guess sugar. But people put sugar into their coffee and coffee is black, so―"

"Can you get to a point?" Aya asked, hands on her hips.

"Fool!" Excalibur poked her in the nose with his cane. "I suppose you want to be my Meister. If that's the point, you have 1,000 regulations to follow" he took three contracts out of thin air, and then handed each of them a copy. "And as I just said, #344 is that you must despise sheep as much as I do"

"You never said anything about hating sheep―" Aya started.

"Fool!" Excalibur exclaimed. "#372 is that you never interrupt me"

"You're the one who's interrupting―" Aya growled.

"Fool!" Excalibur exclaimed. "Now, the first rule of being my Meister is that my favorite flowers are red orchids"

* * *

On a Tuesday afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, and the birds sung in the trees. Excalibur stood in front of the flower stand, taking in a whiff of the smell of flowers. He took in a bouquet of yellow roses, bought them, and then walked back to his home.

"Ah," Excalibur sighed in happiness. "Yellow roses, my favorite flower"

* * *

"But you just said that your favorite flowers are red orchids―" Inuria started.

"Fool! Didn't you just hear my story?" Excalibur exclaimed, slapping her shins with his cane. "My favorite flowers are yellow roses"

"Like I was saying, you just said your favorite flowers are red orchids," Inuria said through gritted teeth. "You're story had nothing to do with that fact!"

"Fool! Who are you to tell me about what goes on in my heart? Only I know my true, utmost desires!" Excalibur exclaimed, turning around and resting his hands on his cane. "For that reason, you should know that I don't have a favorite flower. They're all beautiful in my eyes"

"But you _just said_―"

"Fool! 'No cuts, no buts, no coconuts' as I always say!" Excalibur exclaimed, whisking around. "Now it's time for my five-hour story-telling party. Take a seat. My legend dates back to the twelfth century, you know, and that was a very long time ago. Times were very different then. People dressed differently than they do now, and the year was 1100 . . ."

* * *

The year was 1972.

Disco was a popular dance fashion, with people all around in bell-bottom jeans and hair that was so big birds might as well have nested in it. Excalibur is now a little ashamed to say that he followed along with this fashion, with the snazziest jeans anyone _anywhere _had _ever_ seen, and hair so big all the birds wanted to nest in it and people were _extremely _jealous. They didn't say it, but everyone knew they were. They just thought it, like a dog watching their owners eat tacos. You know they're jealous, even though they won't say it.

And nobody in the dance place could do the Electric Slide quite like Excalibur. He rocked that dance floor so much it set on fire before time, because they knew that the fire would just get bigger if Excalibur danced on it. No one could do that slide quite like Excalibur.

"Hey Excalibur," a pretty girl with a wonderful afro said, smiling at him. "You're such a great dancer"

Excalibur looked into her bright green eyes, getting lost in them . . .

. . . And danced.

* * *

"That story had nothing to do with the year 1100," Lisanna said.

"Fool! Did I not just say that the year was _1972_?" Excalibur said, rolling his black eyes. "_Teenagers_ these days. And that is why my cup of oolong tea should be boiled for exactly six minutes at 196 degrees on the dot! Now as I was saying about my pillow fluffing procedures"

Lisanna and Inuria sighed, giving up talking back to Excalibur. They sat with their legs crossed; listening intently, not caring but have the decency to listen.

"Hey, where's Aya?" Lisanna asked.

A loud groan could be heard from across the cave.

"There's the answer to your question." Inuria said.

Aya was sprawled out on the floor, bored out of her mind, literally. "Oh, fuck this!" she cried. She then threw the stack of papers in the air, changed her hand into a pistol and fired multiple shots at the papers.

"FOOL!" Excalibur pointed his cane at her

"Don't you fool me, Fool!" another shot went off.

"Fool!" another jab at her stomach with his cane.

"You're the fool!" she retorted, her hand changing back to a regular hand.

"Fool!"

"Shut up! Is there anything else you say besides―"

"FOOL!"

Aya looked so mad; her face was turning red in anger.

"I think she's reached her limit. Time to intervene?" Lisanna asked.

"Intervene." Inuria replies.

Lisanna and Inuria grabbed both of Aya's arms, which were about to straggle the penguin-like creature.

"Lemme at the penguin!"

"Fool! The outfit I'm wearing is made entirely out of the finest silk."

"I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR OUTFIT! LOOK, YOU'RE NOT EVEN WEARING ANY PANTS!"

"Fool! The color of my eyes is onyx, not black, onyx."

Several anger marks were etched onto Aya's face.

"Aya, you're only provoking him to go on further. Now―" Inuria started.

"FOOL!" Excalibur exclaimed, interrupting Inuria.

"Excalibur―"

"Fool! I was born in the most prestigious elements of time and space." He interrupted for a second time.

"But I never asked―"

"Fool! Shall we continue on my five-hour story telling?"

"Inuria?" Lisanna questioned, worried for her reaction. Tick marks began to make their way for the twin.

Lisanna sighs, and then smiled at Excalibur "Excalibur, your story?"

"Ah, yes, there was a woman who loved me so much. She looked like you. She was prettier than you, though, MUCH prettier".

"Hey, I'm not—".

"FOOL! You are you to detect true beauty? The beauty is on the inside, not the out!"

"But you just said she was prettier than—"

"FOOL!"

The anger marks finally appeared on Lisanna's head, and Excalibur says "Now that the 5 hour story telling party is over, it's time to accept you as my Meisters! You'll have it all! Glory! Victory! Power!"

"Victory," Lisanna's eyes sparkle.

"Glory," Inuria's eyes sparkle.

"Power," Aya's eyes sparkle, and they grab him by the handle . . . And put him back in the rock.

"So not worth it," Aya muttered, sticking her hands in her pockets.

"Three sets of 99 evil souls and one witch soul," Lisanna scoffed. "That would take forever, anyway"

"Wait, come back! I'll lower the 1,000 provisions down to 990!" Excalibur shouted.

"Save your breath, penguin"

* * *

Lisanna had noticed people laughing all day. She, Inuria, and Aya had been minding their own business. But for some unknown, odd reason, people had been hiding giggles around them, whispering. Others were less discreet, and just pointed and laughed.

"Dragneel, Strauss!" Gajeel shouted, clutching his heart. "I'll be waiting for you!"

"What the hell do you mean, piercings?" Aya snapped, but the teenager just ignored here, walking off and laughing like a maniac. The three soon found out that comments like that didn't only come from Gajeel.

"Miss you already!"

"I'm here if you need me"

"I just love you _so much_!"

"What's everyone going on about?" Inuria wondered aloud, entering their classrooms. As soon as they entered, however, their jaws dropped and their books fell right out of their hands. Aya even fell to the floor, her legs unable to support her.

There was a huge shrine, one of Excalibur himself, holding a giant sign. There was an ordeal of flowers surrounding him, making him look like a show-off angelic parade float. But if that wasn't embarrassing enough, the worst part was what was written on the sign.

_If you need me, I'll be waiting for you always._

_I love you, my precious servants! _

_~Excalibur_

"Oh, my god" Lisanna muttered.

"I'm gonna kill that good-for-nothing pants-less penguin!" Aya growled. The thought of Excalibur made her pull a rather disgusted face, one that later became known as the "Excalibur Face".

You can guess who wanted to die that day.

_FOOL! _

* * *

_**If you've ever watched the Soul Eater anime or read the manga, you'd know that Excalibur is an actual character. And I'm sorry if in the one you watch he says "Baka", but I used "Fool" here because I thought that it sounded better. **_

_**In short, I was just trying to make it funny. I hope it worked. I can easily say that I had some fun imagining Excalibur in a '70's wig. **_(⌒▽⌒) _**If you haven't watched Soul Eater, look up Excalibur on Google. Then you'll understand, that I promise. **_

_**Bonus chapters like this will be up every now and then, just for you to get to know the other teams, you know, since this story is mainly based on Natsu and Lucy. It won't always be the Itazura Shōjo, and it won't always be with Excalibur.**_

_** As for the manga mentioned in this chapter, it is real. "Hetalia" is one of my all-time favorites, I would recommend it to anyone who likes humor. It's one of my very favorite mangas, up there with Fairy Tail send Soul Eater (duh). **_

_**Like it, Love it, Hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed! **_

_**Aye, Sir!, **_

ブルー忍者漫画22


	12. the Princess and the Dragon

_**Ok, first of all, thanks for all the reviews! I know Excalibur is super annoying, but it was extremely fun to come up with all sorts of annoying things he could do.**_

_**As for why this chapter took forever and a day, the only excuse I have is that I've become extremely, utterly **__**obsessed**__** with a computer game I downloaded. It's called "HetaOni", and if any of you have played it, you'll understand. The worst part is: some of it is some scary, kind of angst-y stuff. But I still can't stop playing that damn game! **_

_**And I'm going to be completely honest with you guys; there are two reasons to why I'm even writing this right now. One, I want to wish you guys a happy Thanksgiving, and want to get it out the night before the actual holiday so I'm sure you'll see it. Happy Thanksgiving! Reason number two is the game crashed, and since I'm at my grandma's for Thanksgiving, I need to wait for my dad to come over tomorrow so he can fix my laptop. Don't you love me? **_

_**I don't own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. **_

_**~ * ~ * 12 ~ * ~ *  
~ * ~ * the Princess and the Dragon ~ * ~ ***_

_**Are you my partner, or my shield? **_

_You're almost there_.

Natsu cursed himself for being so stupid. He himself was wounded, what the hell made him think that he could carry Lucy―as well as himself―over to the hospital? He'd just gotten stiches before his fight with _That Girl_, and already every single one of them had been ripped and allowed his cut to be re-opened.

There was that odd feeling of vulnerability when he felt the blood run down his leg, and felt air against his open flesh. But he ignored it; he told himself he didn't care. But he couldn't push away the fact that his leg hurt like hell, and the bleeding was only getting worse.

_You're almost there_.

Natsu threw open the doors to the hospital; the one at the FTWMA was best known for dealing with weapon-created injuries. Natsu was panting, breathing hard, staggering. The room was spinning, the colors turning to shades of gray and black. Natsu coughed up a bit of blood, falling to his knees, unable to even cry out for help.

Before the world faded to black, Natsu saw the faint image of someone running up to him. Someone with a mess of black hair, and a scar on his neck.

* * *

_There is nothing but blackness, and Natsu was in the center of it all. He heard footsteps, and then turned, seeing Lucy walk up from nowhere. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came to his mouth. Either way, he had no idea what he would've said. He couldn't think of anything. _

_Lucy walked right past him, her eyes blank, and glassy. Out of nowhere, another person appeared. But not just anyone―_That Girl_, it was _her_. The two have each other small, respectable bows before completely attacking each other. It was Lucy's katanas against _That Girl's_ swords, and they both fought with an intense ferocity and what seemed to be an undying hatred. _

"_What're you doing? You're supposed to love each other! Stop!" Natsu yelled, not sure where the words were coming from. He didn't know if his statement was true, and if it was, he didn't know where he possibly got that piece of information from. But he knew that this entire scene was horribly, horribly wrong. _

_Directly in front of him, another figure appeared, watching the two fight with an increasing interest in his eyes. Natsu didn't recognize the young man, but he looked to be young, in his late teens or early twenties, at least. The man smiles, and as the fight grew more intense, the smug and happy smile on his face only grew. _

_Lucy screamed in pain as _That Girl _attacked for the final time, the sword going right through her. But her blood, Lucy's blood, was as black as tar. It dripped onto the nonexistent, black floor. But even in its matching color, Natsu could see it. Lucy's blood dripped along the floor in shades of dark, dark red, falling down the flat surface like vines and snakes. _

"_Lucy!" Natsu yelled, but his partner lay unmoving on the ground. _That Girl _didn't even acknowledge her victory, she only held out her sword, her eyes emotionless. Her face was covered in Lucy's blood, mixing into her brown hair and falling into her eyes. A single droplet fell from the corner of her right eye, making it look like a red tear. _

"_This world will perish soon. This world will burn by my hand" the figure said. Natsu nearly screamed in horror as he got a better look at the stranger's face. Blood fell from the stranger's eyes as tears, dripped from his mouth, out of his ears. He was bleeding from all of the possible openings in his face, and in all the blood, he smiled. His smile consisted of blood red teeth, causing a chill to go down Natsu's spine. _

"_And its madness will be mine" _

* * *

Natsu jolted awake, breathing heavily. He felt every inch of his face, making sure there really was no blood, and that all of that really was a dream. Even though the stranger in the dream was the one bleeding, Natsu still felt as if he was bleeding. He gritted his teeth, trying to get rid of the image of all that blood, the blood that fell as tears and as salvia.

"Thank God, you're awake," Natsu looked over, seeing Gray in a hospital chair. Gray smiled, and Natsu tried not to look at the scar. Gray had a couple of stiches on the back of his head, and the scar curled from the back of his head, down to his shoulder blade. It was obvious, and Natsu wondered if it was ok for him to say something. Sure, it would be rude, but he was on a hospital bed, too.

"Yeah," Natsu said, deciding against it, rubbing his forehead with his palm. He glanced over to his thigh and saw fresh stiches where a huge, gaping cut used to be. "What happened?"

"You fainted like a fangirl who just kidnapped Edward Cullen, that's what happened" Gray joked, trying to lighten the mood. The joke earned a laugh from Natsu, who glanced to the hospital bed beside him. Gray followed his gaze, and smirked.

"In all technicalities, you were sleeping next to her on the floor. What's that, ½ of 1st base?" Gray asked.

"Shut up," Natsu rolled his eyes. "Where is Lucy, anyway?"

"She left, training or something" Gray said, and then stood up. "I'm only allowed here as long as you're knocked out, so I've got to get to class. Good luck, bro"

"Thanks" Natsu said, climbing out of his bed.

"Oh, and by the way, Natsu?" Gray said, stopping at the door.

"What is it?"

"While you were asleep . . ."

"Yeah?"

". . . I ate your lunch"

"I hate you"

Gray laughed, heading out of the hospital room. Following Gray's directions, Natsu wondered over to the training room. True to Gray's word, Lucy was there, punching a punching mannequin with all the strength she could muster. This usually wouldn't matter much, but she was only wearing Nike shorts and a sports bra. Mentioning how much he was blushing would be an embarrassment to all those reading this.

Lucy lashed out her foot, giving the poor mannequin her signature "Lucy Kick", and the poor thing toppled backwards, as well as slammed into the wall. Natsu clapped, believing that she deserved some kind of acknowledgement.

"Wow," Natsu smiled, as Lucy turned, blushing from his one-worded praise. Natsu looked to her abdomen, showing a scar from her hip to her shoulder and many small scars, from previous missions from when she was still in youth.

Natsu scowled. It was all his fault. All he needed was a couple of stiches on his leg, and because of a mission that happened seconds later, Lucy practically got her body ripped in half. She took the fall for him, and she was paying for it was that huge, ugly scar.

Lucy noticed his gaze, and then raised an eyebrow. "Natsu? Are you ok?"

Her partner didn't answer; he only turned on his heels storming out of the training room. As he exited, he muttered under his breath "I'm no princess, dammit!"

* * *

Exactly one week later, Natsu and Lucy were finally allowed to go to class. There was all the prescription from the nurse and doctors, not to mention all the heavy therapy. And Natsu felt all of that therapy go to waste when Lucy entered class in a tank top, the top of her scar showing, as it began at her shoulder blade. The blonde bit her lower lip, and Natsu couldn't blame her. In all of the medicines, check-ups, and therapy sessions they'd been through together, Natsu hadn't talked to her. Not even once.

"C'mon, Natsu, please just talk to me! What have I done wrong?!" Lucy hissed under her breath, her voice sounding desperate.

"Why did _That Girl_ call you 'Nee-San'?" Natsu asked.

Lucy looked to the floor "Oh. That's private"

"You're going to keep stuff from ME?" Natsu exclaimed, a little too loudly, considering the fact that they were in class.

"Mr. Dragneel, be quiet—" Igneel started.

"No, YOU be quiet!" Natsu snapped, and then stood up "Lucy, you know everything about me! I've told you everything! I've told you stuff I don't want anybody to know about me, and 'anybody' includes them!" he pointed to people in the desks. Every head in the class room turned (including Igneel's) to look at the twins. Aya and Inuria Dragneel glanced around awkwardly, whistling and tapping their fingers on their desks.

"I've told you literally everything there is to know about me, not only are we friends, we're _partners_! And you're telling me that something is PRIVATE?!" Natsu snapped.

"Fuck you, Lucy!" some random person exclaimed.

"Shut up, I'm the only one who's allowed to be mad at her, ya smartass!" Natsu shouted in the direction that the voice came from.

"Maybe you two should talk in private . . ." Igneel said nervously, excusing them from the classroom.

The two had walked to one of the towers, just as the sun set. Natsu had always hated the sun that set over the academy, it was one that laughed as it arose, and slowly fell asleep as it fell out of the sky. For whatever reason, this creeped him out beyond all comprehension.

"Why does _That Girl_ call you Nee-San?" Natsu repeated his question, looking over to his partner. She didn't answer him, only looking over the balcony and watching the sun slowly fall asleep as it fell behind the hills. Natsu repeated his question, but she didn't answer.

"Fine, then, don't answer me" Natsu growled, turning on his heels. His hand was on the doorknob when he heard Lucy's voice.

"Her name's not _That Girl_, her name's Michelle. And she calls me Née-San because she's like my little sister"

Natsu turned; his eyes wide. "What?"

Lucy took in a breath, and then started to tell her story. "My mom died when I was really young, and I ran away at the age of six because my dad didn't care much for me. I was only gone for a week, like kids do, but when I returned, the house was empty. My dad had died in the short time I was away, and for a reason I still didn't know today.

"I enrolled myself at the school, but continued to live on the streets. Exactly three weeks before I met you, I met Michelle. Michelle recognized me immediately, calling me 'Nee-San', and explained to me that my dad was her uncle. I was confused, but Michelle was younger than me, so I took her under my wing.

"I fed her, protected her, and used my "mission money" to get us food. We'd gotten a apartment at the age of eight, a small one just for us. But Michelle was never really completely stable, and I had long noticed that her blood was black, but didn't give it much notice. Until one day, Michelle gave her me impossible choice.

"'You run off to the academy every day and you leave me here, all alone,' Michelle told me, one day. 'I don't want you to go anymore. You aren't going to go there. You're going to stay here with me, all day'

"I tried to explain that all our money came from my education at the academy, and that she had to go, honestly, I did! But rather than understanding, Michelle exclaimed that I was picking the academy over her, and that I'd forgotten all about her, that I didn't love her anymore. In a fit of tears, Michelle ran off into the rain. I spent seven days looking for her—I'd missed a week of school trying to find her. But I couldn't.

"I realize now that I reason I couldn't find her is probably because she flew away," Lucy said, letting out a last gasp of breath from her story. "I didn't know where she went. But I hoped she was ok. You know that guest room in my house, that empty room? That's Michelle's old room. I try to keep it nice and clean in case she ever decides to come back home. But I was always worried that she still thought that I forgot her. And know I know that she really does think that".

"What about that thing that came out of her back?" Natsu asked. "Midnight?"

"Before last week, I'd never seen that _thing_ in my life," Lucy growled. "All I noticed about Michelle was that her blood was black. That's all".

"But . . . She hurt you; after all you did for her . . ." Natsu growled, gripping the edge of the balcony.

Lucy grabbed his hand, and it made his grip loosen "It's alright, Natsu. Michelle's not right in the head. But, if we do see her again, I hope we can be friends again. The kind of friends we used to be".

* * *

**Ok, that dream scene with the stranger and the blood . . . I know that was graphic. I re-read it and I think it just might haunt my nightmares. Not the way I described it ('cause I'm kind of ashamed of how detail-less that scene came out, sorry about that), just the thought of someone crying blood and it leaking out of their ears and mouth, too . . . god, ****why**** do I come up with these things?! **

**Anyways . . . **

_**HAPPY THANKSGIVING!**_

_**mm**_

_**. .\ \\\/**_

_**V\ \\\\/**_

_**\ \\\/**_

_**( )**_

_**l L**_

_**It's a turkey. Gobble, gobble. **_

_**Like it, love it, hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!, **_

_**Ninja **_


	13. Project 23

_**I'M SO FUCKING SORRY! **_

_**I try t get a chapter uploaded at least once every week, and I only realized yesterday that the last chapter I posted was on Thanksgiving, and now it's December. I'm really sorry that this took FOREVER! **_

_**And another reason to why I took so long is the game I mentioned in the last chapter, HetaOni. I never got it fixed. (*-.-) But I went online and saw a walkthrough version of it, and it made me cry. Yes, I, Blueninjamanga22, cried because of a sad video game. I'm pathetic. However, I downloaded a game similar to HetaOni called HetaFear, which is also incredibly fun. **_

_**Anyway, I don't own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. **_

_**~ * ~ * 13 ~ * ~ * **_

_**~ * ~ * Project 23 ~ * ~ ***_

_**Lord Death's Adventure? **_

He was a man of principles, a man of duty. And Lord Death Makarov's one duty was to the school, which left him with only one boundary: never leave Death City. For reasons he couldn't quite say, Lord Death couldn't leave the city.

Lord Death couldn't trust his son alone in charge of the school for very long; Laxus was a reckless boy. He, along with Gildarts-San, could take care of the current damage of the academy, but not for very long. Lord Death was a little ashamed to say that he didn't trust Laxus very much.

The academy's headmaster was disguised in his normal commoners outfit, as a short old man in jeans and a t-shirt. His normal uniform as headmaster made him look and feel taller, dressed like this in public made him feel as if everyone was laughing at him.

He took a small turn down an alley, reaching the outskirts of the city. This place was known as the Ruins, where the city was falling apart due to the first Battle of the Kishin. The place was so dangerous and polluted; schools weren't even allowed to come here on field trips, even though the place held a lot of historical and scientific sights.

As soon as he heard the chatter, Lord Death crouched behind a brick wall. There were at least nine distinguished voices, and a few others hidden. The headmaster glanced over, seeing the dirt lab coats and crazed, insane eyes of yellow and red. The rebel scientists: Project 23.

"I have here," a scientist with a scared face, torn coat, and yellow eyes said. "One Kishin Base, we can use it to create yet another weapon of _mass destruction_. I think we could make a Cyclops, those were the most feared out of the Greek myths"

"Debatable," a woman with a voice and red eyes like a snake's. "Medusa was able to fight and think for herself, while Cyclops's were practically wild animals. I say we use it to bring the Medusa legend to life"

The headmaster bit his lower lip. A Kishin Base was created when a number of innocent souls were compressed and molded into one soul. These things were highly illegal to create, and could be used to create anything. Any myth, weapon, or dream that comes to your pretty little mind would be possible if you had a Kishin Base.

Lord Death's breath stopped. That scientist had said _yet another. _They had already created something; this was only their second Kishin Base.

"Stop daydreaming!" A woman with bright green locks and pretty features snapped. "Do you have it?"

"Yes, Karen-Sama," a man with insane yellow eyes smiles, showing jagged teeth. "I do hope it makes Master Zeref happy, this one was a lot of hard work to make" he let out a low whistle, and something lurched out of the shadows, fast as lighting.

The creature was the size of a dump truck, and that was its body alone. It was a dog of some sort, a breed Lord Death couldn't quite identify, and foam dripping from its snarling mouths. Yes,_ mouths_. Along with it's knife-sharp claws and fangs, this creature had three snarling heads, biting and snapping at thin air.

"Ah, yes," Karen smiles, showing pearly white teeth. Out of all the members of Project 23, she seemed to be the most taken care of. "Cerberus, he's such a beauty. But what really goes with beauty," the girl smirked, pulling out a shot filled with black liquid. "Is madness"

The girl rushed forward, injected the monstrous dog with the black liquid. The dog─Cerberus─let out a howl of pain, its entire eye filling up with black, then shrinking to black-slit pupils. The irises of Cerberus's eyes were now blood red.

In a flash, blood was already on the floor, and Lord Death knew who it belonged to. Karen. The beast had lunched forward, enclosing its massive jaws around her entire middle, attacking his creator as if he had no idea who she was. The blood dripped down its teeth and onto the floor, as he tossed Karen away as if she were a rag doll. By the time the woman hit the floor, she was drenched in blood, her eyes glassy. She was dead before she hit the floor; Cerberus's bite had killed her instantly.

Madness. Lord Death knew that was what Karen had injected Cerberus with; Black Blood. She was fool to stand so close to the animal when the madness had taken affect, a real moron. It had been the end of her.

Cerberus was going on a complete rampage, attacking his own creators. It had only been a few seconds, and already three bodies had hit the ground dead, one for each head of the demonic dog. People were falling dead like seconds on a clock.

Lord Death took his chance, rushing forward with his signature move in preparation. "Maka . . . _Chop!_" and with that, the headmaster of the best academy in Death City punched the demon dog, right on the nose of it's middle head.

Cerberus whined, retreating a few steps, getting over the shock of actually being attacked by someone. Before the headmaster could even punch the dog a good second time, a whip lashed out at the demon dog, so hard it left scars along the animal's shoulders.

Lord Death turned, seeing a girl in a pink dress walk over. Her light brown hair covered her right eye, and the one eye was showing was a bright blue, and clearly insane. She smiled, grabbing the three headed dog by its collar. The dog whined; it was already terrified of her.

"I'm going to borrow him for a while," the girl smiled, and then whispered. "How the hell is he going to fit in the pyramid?"

"Now, wait just a second─" Lord Death started, and he only blinked for a moment, he swore he did. But after that one blink, she was gone. Both her and the dog, as if they were never even there in the first place.

But the bodies of Karen and the two scientists proved otherwise.

Lord Death pulled out his cell phone, quickly dialing his son's number. "Hello, Laxus? It's me. This problem is much bigger than previously thought. Much, much bigger"

* * *

_**The **__**cover for this story was drawn and designed by LuckyLifeSmile, my co-author for this Fanfic. Love you, Nee-Chan! **_

_** I'm sorry this was so short. **_

_**That's all I have to say for now . . . **_

_**Like it, love it, hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!, **_

_**Ninja **_


	14. Snow Day

_**This chapter will be more fun than anything, because I decided to take a break from all the fighting and blood and stuff like that for the holidays. This isn't a bonus chapter, though; it's more of just a nice little break. **_

_**And even though I'm late: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy Holidays!**_

_**~ * ~ * 14 ~ * ~ * **_

_**~ * ~ * Snow Day ~ * ~ * **_

_**Ten Inches of Snow and Ice?**_

Natsu bolted awake as soon as he felt someone's elbow jab into his stomach. He coughed a little, seeing Aya and Inuria jumping all over his bed. Before he could ask what the _hell_ they were doing in his room (he had clearly put a 'no girls or little sisters allowed' sign on the door to his fort. He would have kept it as 'no girls allowed' but he wasn't sure that little sisters counted as people) but he was met with a foot to the face.

"Natsu-Nii, it's _snowing_! _It's snowing_!" the twins chanted in unison, leaping off his bed and pulling the blinds up on his window. Sure enough, little pieces of white, frozen ice fell from the sky.

"Huh, it's snowing" Natsu smirked, and then his eyes widened. "_Holy shit, it's snowing_!"

"I know right?" Aya laughed, watching the snow fall.

Natsu scrambled out of bed, dragging the bed covers with him. He shook it off, sliding down the banister and making a grab for his cellphone, which he had left on the kitchen table by accident the night before. Before he could grab it, however, his mother snatched the phone up.

"Hey!" Natsu exclaimed.

"You better have made your bed, Natsu-Kun," Harumi said, raising an eyebrow at her son.

"Yeah, yeah, I did, Mom," Natsu exclaimed, reaching for his phone. Harumi rolled her eyes and handed him his cellphone. As soon as he had his precious beck in his hands, he dialed Gray's number.

"_It's snowing_!" Gray answered as soon as he picked up.

"I know!" Natsu responded, pulling a jacket over his PJs and zipping it up. "I'll be over in a little bit, this is gonna be so awesome!"

Natsu pulled on a pair of gloves, snow boots, and a black ski hat that had flame prints on it. As soon as he opened the front door, he ran into Lisanna, who had actually bothered to get dressed rather than putting a jacket over his PJs like Natsu did.

"Hey Lisanna!" Natsu exclaimed, running right past her.

"Morning, Natsu-San!" Lisanna responded, and then asked Harumi if the twins were home. Natsu ran through the snow, feeling the droplets of snow melt on the heat of his face. He found Gray's house and then rang the doorbell about five or six times.

"SHUT UP!" Someone in the house yelled, and a girl that was about three years older than him opened the door. Natsu recognized her as Ultear, Gray's older sister. She was a senior at the academy, and her weapons partner was a girl, Meredy, that was surprisingly a lot younger than her. It seriously made Natsu question Ultear's motives and personality.

"Hey, can you get Gray for me?" Natsu immediately covered his mouth and nose with his mitten-covered hand, making it look like his face was cold. But, in reality, he did have a small nosebleed coming on. It wasn't that Ultear was so amazingly hot or crush-able, but she was wearing a tank top that was about three sizes too small for her, and her boobs were practically pouring out of her shirt.

"Gray!" Ultear yelled at the top of her lungs, as Gray dashed out of the kitchen and jumped the stairs that led up to his house. This would have been impressive if he hadn't slid on the ice and tumbled backwards, doing summersaults down his front lawn and crashing into a pile of snow.

"Geek," Ultear rolled her eyes, closing the door and returning to her phone. Natsu laughed, running forward and helping his friend out of the snow.

"Nice one, buddy," Natsu laughed.

"Shut up," Gray said, looking up and sticking out his tongue, trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth. Natsu would have done the same, but whenever he did that, it seemed as if all the snowflakes purposely avoided his tongue.

"Stop that, you look like a moron," Natsu said, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and dragging him through the street. "C'mon, let's make a snowman."

At first they were going to make the biggest, and then they decided there wasn't enough snow in all of Death City for that. Then they decided they would make the coolest snowman in the world. Since they were both Meisters, they couldn't do the kind of decorating they'd be able to do with bullets or blades of chains or something like that, but they could do something close. Hopefully.

They had made the body of the snowman, and Natsu was about to give it his scarf when a snowball hit him in the back of the head. He wiped the snow out of his hair, turned around, and before he could yell 'who threw that?!' he was hit in the face with another snowball.

"That was too easy!" a voice laughed, and Natsu groaned when he realized it was Aya. Both twins were wearing matching outfits, only in different colors (blue and purple), while Lisanna wore all pink, from her hat to her boots.

"Damn you," Natsu grunted, patting together a snowball. He threw it, aiming for Aya, but hit Lisanna's head. The girl was able to duck, but her poor hat was knocked off her head. Lisanna's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe that her hat was sitting on the snow, slowly getting wet.

"_Jerk_!" Lisanna exclaimed, grabbing a handful of snow and throwing it. It had hit him full in the face, and the blow of the hit made him stagger backwards and fall on his butt. When the snow was out of his eyes, Gray was laughing at him, and Lisanna had her hat back on.

"That'll show you not to mess with a girl's headwear!" Gray laughed, and Natsu got him to shut up by throwing a snowball at him. It landed right smack in the middle of the face, so Gray ended up choking on the snowball.

"You did _not_ just do that!" Gray said, grabbing a handful of snow and throwing it at Natsu. Natsu moved out of the way at last minute, however, and it hit Inuria. It had been three minutes, and a full-fledged snowball fight had already started.

Natsu wasn't sure how it happened. Actually, he was a 100% sure how it happened, but he just wished it didn't. He was aiming for Inuria, but she did this ninja move (which was moving a little to the left), and the snowball had hit the poor pedestrian walking behind her. He would have brushed it off, and then he realized who he hit.

"_Lucy_!" Natsu yelled. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," Lucy answered, whipping the snow off her face.

"Good!" Natsu shouted, and then threw another snowball at her, hitting her in the middle of the chest. The first time was an accident, so he needed to make sure she was ok. He couldn't fight with a partner who couldn't take a snowball to the face; this was a test of strength!

"Oh, it's _on_!" Lucy exclaimed, grabbing a handful of snow and throwing it. Her arm wasn't exactly meant for throwing, so the snowball didn't make it to Natsu. It did get Inuria in the back of the head, though, so that was a plus.

In the next couple of minutes, Juvia had joined the fight. Gray had the best deal, since Juvia stood in front of him to 'block anything that could hurt her Gray-Sama'; all he had to do was throw random snowballs while she practically acted like his shield.

Being the biggest in numbers, Lisanna, Aya, and Inuria already had a fort in prepare. The three hid behind it, throwing at anybody from the left, right, and center. Anybody who dared to get even remotely close to their precious fort got a warning shot to the feet from one of the twins guns.

Of course, since they were already using bullets, it made the message clear: weapon usage is officially allowed in this snowball fight. Natsu held Lucy's katana in his hands, slicing through any snowball that came at him. Of course, this didn't stop a couple of snowballs from pounding him in the chest, but he still felt like he was playing Fruit Ninja.

Somewhere in the chaos, Natsu had thrown one, and once again, made what could have been the most fatal mistake he'd _ever_ made in his life. And he meant _ever_. He grabbed a handful of snow, threw it . . .

And hit Erza. Right in the face.

She was walking out of the bakery with Jellal, and Natsu had seen the look of complete confusion when a random snowball socked her in the face. Natsu grimaced; he needed to learn how to aim.

Erza had a look of bloody murder in her eyes as she clenched her fist, using her free hand to get the water off her face. Jellal looked like he was trying incredibly hard not to laugh.

"Who. Threw. That?" Erza growled, and everyone in the current snowball battle stopped what they were doing and pointed to Natsu. Certain people, like Lucy and the twins, even got out of their weapon form so they could point at Natsu. Natsu gave a nervous smile, _thanks a lot, guys_.

Jellal transformed into a black blade, as Erza gripped its handle. Shit just got real.

* * *

Natsu's face was numb and iced, and it was all Erza's fault. Erza joining the snowball fight pretty much meant 'anyone who challenges Erza will die a painful, icy death, so just avoid her'. Unfortunately for Natsu, he took that as a challenge, and aimed for no one _but_ Erza. And he paid the price for it.

His breathing came out iced, as he gripped the handle of Lucy's katana. This was serious, a snowball fight to the death. He could see no enemies; everyone was plotting behind their own fort. Someone was going to have to attack first, and that someone would be him.

He grabbed a snowball, tossing it at a random fort. When he heard a random cry of surprise, he knew he'd hit someone. _Yes_!

Then he took a hit to the back of the head. He turned, seeing Jellal smirking as he held a snowball. Sneaky Erza; she knew that everyone would be thinking that Jellal would be with her, making it easy for him to sneak around and infiltrate his fort.

"_Damn it_!" Natsu gave a battle cry, grabbing handful after handful of snow and throwing it at Jellal. The boy was agile and quick, but not quick enough to dodge every hit. When Lucy had transformed back into her human form, she began to throw snowballs at him as well. Even with her sucky arm strength, she hit him a couple of times. All by himself, Jellal was unable to stand.

"_Yes_! We did it, Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, grabbing his partner by the shoulders and hugging her. She felt warm, even in the midst of all the snow. Natsu threw his fist in the air, chanting repeatedly. "U.S.A.! U.S.A! U.S.A.! U.S―!"

"Natsu-Kun, Lucy-Chan?"

Natsu turned, realizing that somehow he ended up back at the front door of his home. His mother was smiling at him, pink locks tied back in a messy bun. Natsu never remembered his mother ever looking so beautiful in his life.

"Do you kids want hot cocoa?"

* * *

_**Huh. Even though I said I wanted something nice and easy, it still came out sounding like a battle scene. Oh, well. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. **_

_**Happy late holidays!**_

_**Like it, love it, hate it? I'd appreciate it if you reviewed!**_

_**Aye, Sir!, **_

_**Ninja **_

_***BAGPIPES EXIT* **_


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